A Thread of Scarlet
by doritoFace1q
Summary: L and Beyond have always shared a gift of death. B can see it, and L can hear it. But carrying such a burden can take a toll on the mind, and after a while, a person would be willing to do anything to have a brief moment of silence. . . (Basically just a rewrite of the series. Has BB in it, and I might add other characters in later. BB and L are brothers.)
1. Chapter 1: Bells

So, just before you start the story I wanted to tell you that I kind of changed the circumstances of the plot a bit, like Misa doesn't send the messages to Sakura TV, L's slightly more depressed and a bit suicidal (I mean, come on, who wouldn't be in his situation?), and he and BB are a bit more emotional and aggressive. I'll add notes in front of each chapter whenever you need to know something :)

* * *

L poured his tea over the sugar cubes in his cup, watching the brown seep into the white. Lifting a spoon, he stirred the drink, listening to the light tinkling of the metal spoon hitting the china of the cup. The clinking calmed his mind, and he focused on it, trying to drown out the sound of the bells.

 _The bells_. They had been ringing rather loudly today. Louder than normal, at least. And rather erratically, too. L wondered what – or who – they were ringing for. It sounded too alive for a funeral, yet too somber for a wedding. In fact, they almost sounded like warning bells. For some reason, they seemed eerily familiar.

"Ryuzaki."

L looked up to see the Task Force looking at him. Aizawa seemed to be the one who had called his name, as he stood directly in front of him, holding a stack of papers. "Yes, what is it?"

"We've been trying to get your attention for the last minute and a half." Aizawa replied, looking rather peeved about being ignored.

"You seem a little out of it today, Ryuzaki, is everything alright?" Matsuda asked, looking worried.

"I simply have a lot on my mind at the moment. It's nothing of great importance." L replied, reaching out for the papers. He placed them on the desk, moving his tea to the side, and began flipping through them with his thumb and forefinger. He tossed paper after paper aside, eyes moving fast as lightning, reading through the information and absorbing it faster than most would think humanly possible.

Each page contained detailed information about the victims of the second Kira. He dropped most of the pages with careless abandon, muttering to himself. However, his routine reached a sudden pause as he froze, staring blankly at the page he clenched between his thumb and forefinger. The Task Force noticed this stop, and they turned around to look at Ryuzaki. Mogi was the first to voice his concern.

L barely heard them. He looked straight ahead, frozen, arm shaking. The bells rang louder, so loud that he was tempted to clap his hands over his ears and scream, despite knowing full well that that wouldn't work. The piece of paper fluttered to the ground as the ringing grew even louder, blocking out all rational thought. He grabbed his hair, pulling it over his ears, and let out a muffled wail into his knees.

Then, all of a sudden, the bells stopped. It was completely silent. L looked up in surprise, and the voices of the Task Force members filled his ears. They were all asking him if he was alright. L blinked, surprised. The bells had stopped. For the first time, in over twenty years, they were quiet. He hit the side of his head, just to be sure. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Soichiro Yagami and Aizawa exchanging glances.

"Ryuzaki?" L snapped out of his daze and looked up. "Finally!"

"I beg your pardon?" L looked up into Matsuda's relieved face.

"You were spacing out, and then you just grabbed your ears and started screaming." Matsuda said.

"Ryuzaki, are you feeling alright?" Yagami asked, looking concerned. "Perhaps you should get some rest. It appears the sleep deprivation is getting to you."

"Thank you for the concern, Mr. Yagami. However, I am in no need of sleep. I simply felt a little overwhelmed for a moment." L replied. He spoke confidently, but he knew that they could see him shaking.

"Are you sure?" Mogi scratched his head awkwardly. "I mean, we all know you're the greatest detective in the world and all, but even you can't stay awake forever."

"I am fine." L maintained firmly. "Also," he added, turning his chair around to face the desk once more, "Did I happen to say anything in particular while I was. . . screaming?"

"I think you were yelling 'Beyond', or something like that." Aizawa added. "Why?"

"Simply curious." L replied, ignoring the sudden chill that ran down his spine. He returned to the papers, working to keep himself from shaking.

Even as he spoke these words, he could hear the bells staring again. But they weren't the deafening, almost painful bells that he had heard before. And underneath it all, a cold, sinister voice.

Laughing.


	2. Chapter 2: Laughter

Basically just Beyond Birthday laughing and strangling people. You know, the usual.

* * *

Beyond rocked back and forth, humming quietly, a detached smile on his face. He rolled around on the padded floor, laughing manically.

"Ha ha ha ha!" he stopped suddenly, tilting his head in thought. "No, no, that won't do. . . hmm. . . oh, I know! Hee hee hu ha! Yes, that's it!"

He was still laughing when the door of his padded cell opened and a guard walked in, holding a tray. "Prisoner number 1217," he said, setting the tray on the ground. "Your meal."

Beyond lifted his head and gazed at the guard. His eyes travelled to a point just above his head. A wicked grin spread over his face.

The guard knelt and undid the ties on his arms. Beyond stretched them out, sighing. "You new? Never see you before." The guard didn't reply, simply handed him a simple plastic spoon and paper cup full of soup.

"So, how long have you been working here?" Beyond asked, eyes still fixed on the spot just above his head. The guard remained silent, arms folded, waiting for Beyond to finish his meal. "You drew the short straw, didn't you? That's what happens most of the time when newbies pay me their visits." Beyond grinned, scraping out the bottom of the cup. The guard shot him a cold stare before reaching out for the spoon.

Beyond placed it in his open palm, but didn't let go. The guard cleared his throat slightly, and Beyond chuckled. "So, you're not a mute? Wow, that's a shocker." The guard scowled and reached to grab the cup on the ground.

Quick as a flash, Beyond reached out and grabbed the guard's wrist, tugging him to the ground. The guard let out a startled yelp as he fell to the ground. Beyond grabbed his throat with both hands and began squeezing.

The guard gasped for breath, clawing desperately at Beyond's boney wrists. Beyond shrieked with laughter and squeezed tighter. "You know, since you're about to die, I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you a little secret."

The guard's face was turning purple. His eyes bulged and his mouth opened and closed wordlessly. Beyond giggled and leaned down to whisper in the guard's ear. "I wasn't guilty. My victims were going to die anyways. I just sent them on their way. Like an angel of death, you know?" He squeezed even tighter, arms trembling.

Beyond shrieked joyously. "And another thing, I bet you didn't know that I know Japanese, eh? Probably not. I only use it for goodbyes. So," his face split into a full, toothy smile. " _Sayonara_ , Nolan McDonald."

The guard's eyes opened wide as he shuddered one last time before falling limp. Beyond rolled away from the body and yanked the ties off his legs. He stood to his full height, stretching and moving his legs around for the first time in years. He glanced at Nolan McDonald's corpse before sighing. "This is the kind of help the state asylum hires? Such a disappointment."

He pulled the straightjacket off and glanced at the burn marks all over his body. "Hmm, this won't do. I'll definitely be noticed." he glanced over at Noland McDonald.

"Huh," he leaned over, taking in every detail of his guard uniform. "I'd say that we're about the same height, wouldn't you?" he laughed hysterically. "Oh, this is going to be fun."

* * *

Just FYI, when Beyond said 'this is going to be fun', he meant escaping. Just wanted to clear up any possible confusion


	3. Chapter 3: Leads

This was originally supposed to be about Light and Misa but then I realized that the timelines did _not_ match up and I've already changed the story enough so. . . XD

* * *

L scrolled through the files on his computer, digging through case files that stretched back years. He privately wondered why he hadn't deleted them yet. Probably for an instance just like this.

He clicked on a folder and a list popped up. He scrolled through, scanning through codenames, birthdays, blood types, and every sort of personal information imaginable. His index finger traced his thumb as he searched through the Bs.

"Hey, Ryuzaki, I've looked through the victims and – hey, what's that?"

L hurriedly closed the file as Matsuda peeked in over his shoulder, but not before Matsuda got a glimpse at the tables. "Hey, that's not from this case. That's not even from this year!"

"I am aware." L said coldly, closing his laptop and reaching over for Matsuda's report. However, the clueless young detective did not pick up on L's frustration, and kept on talking.

"Why were you looking that over? I thought you said the Kiras are our top priority!" Matsuda handed over the report, but his talking never ceased. "Oh, did you think of somebody to suspect other than the Chief's son?"

"Matsuda!" everybody fell silent. They had never heard L snap like that before. Matsdua quieted and looked at the floor, mumbling an apology. "Matsuda," L repeated, taking a deep breath. "I apologize for shouting. Please return to your station." he complied sheepishly.

Chief Yagami cleared his throat and L groaned inwardly. "But if you don't mind us asking, why _were_ you looking through those files?" he asked.

"Yeah, like Matsuda said, isn't catching the two Kiras supposed to be our top priority right now?" Aizawa asked. "Ryuzaki, what's going on? You've been acting really weird lately."

L sighed. "I was investigating a lead." he saw the Task Force exchanging surprised looks. "I don't do things without rhyme or reason, you know." he added.

"Well, let's hear it." Chief Yagami said.

L opened up his computer and dragged the file out again. "A few years ago, I was investigating a series of murders in Los Angeles. The culprit had a very unusual ability." L scrolled through the file. "He was able to see a person's name just by looking at their face."

There was a shocked silence, broken shortly by Matsuda. "No way. . ." he shook his head. "Then. . ."

"I believe that the second Kira has the same power as the man responsible for the killings." L reached for a platter of cookies that Watari had set down on the coffee table.

The Task Force immediately began talking all at once. Mogi pumped the air with his fist triumphantly, while Matsuda immediately started chattering excitedly.

"This is wonderful news, Ryuzaki!" Soichiro cried delightedly. "Where is this man now? We need to question to him!"

"He's right!" Aizawa exclaimed. "This might clear up the mystery of how Kira kills!"

L bit into his second sugar cookie. "I'm afraid that won't be possible."

The Task Force stopped talking. "What do you mean?" Aizawa asked angrily. "You clearly don't mind using unlawful methods. Using a criminal as a source of information would probably be your least serious crime!"

 _Imbeciles_ , L thought. "Listen to yourself, Mr. Aizawa," be sighed, reaching for yet another cookie. "The culprit was a _serial murderer_. I _arrested_ him, and put him in _prison_. He is a _criminal_." he turned the cookie around, nibbling at the edges.

"Now, think about who we are trying to capture right now." L popped the rest of the cookie in his mouth and swallowed. " _Kira_. Now, what does Kira do?"

Aizawa opened and closed his mouth a few times, before groaning slightly and smacking his forehead. "Of course. . ."

"That's right." L picked up his teacup and took a sip. "He's dead."


	4. Chapter 4: Clothes

I'm going to make Beyond very open with his eye power in the story, because I always thought of him as a really cocky person who doesn't mind taking risks

* * *

Beyond Birthday was _not_ dead.

In fact, he was more alive than he had been in many years. It had been a simple matter of getting out of the asylum – he had pulled the guard's cap low over his face to hide his burn scars and fairly strolled out of the place (security had been frighteningly lax).

After that, he had stolen a car and driven to a nearby mall to buy some new clothes. People would definitely notice if he kept walking around in a dusty asylum guard uniform, and that was exactly what he did _not_ want to happen.

He had been standing in front of a clothing rack for about fifteen minutes when a giggly young shop clerk walked up to him. "May I help you?" he asked as she walked up to him.

"Actually, I was about to offer to help you." she replied, grinning as a blush spread across her face. "You looked like you needed assistance."

"Huh," Beyond rubbed his chin, looking up and down the stacks of folded t-shirts. "Well, oh helpful one, can you tell me what people wear in Japan?"

She blinked, confused. "Um, I'm guessing they wear just normal clothes. . . are you going to Japan?"

"Visiting family." Beyond replied, grinning toothily. "We haven't seen each other for quite a while, I'm planning on surprising him."

"Oh?" the clerk handed him a bundle of clothes. "Are you Japanese? You don't look like it."

"Are clerks always this nosy, or just when they're looking for a hot lay?" he shot back. The clerk turned a deep fuchsia color before tossing him a bundle of clothes and rushing behind the counter. He chuckled before heading after her and dumping the clothes onto the counter.

"Aren't you going to try them on?" she asked, fumbling with the scanner.

"Aren't you supposed to just take my money and shut up?" he growled, grabbing the clothes from her and tossing a fifty-dollar bill onto the counter. "Keep the change."

He began walking out, but stopped just before the door and turned his head. "And by the way, I'd be careful on the twenty-sixth if I were you. . . Carla Michaels."

He saw her jaw drop in shock and he smirked as he sauntered out, slamming the door behind him.


	5. Chapter 5: Secrets

L hitting that wall of emotions like an out-of-control bumper car be like

* * *

Kanzo had always been a light sleeper, and was therefore unsurprised when he jerked awake in the middle of the night. What _did_ surprise him was that Ryuzaki wasn't in his usual position at the coffee table, flicking through files and tossing papers left and right.

He looked around, and saw the other Task Force members either slumped in their seats, lying on the couches, or sprawled out on the ground. But none of them snored, and there was nothing in the room that would wake him.

He then noticed that the door to Ryuzaki's room was slight ajar, and he could hear quiet murmuring from within. Getting up quietly, he tiptoed across the room and peeked through the gap between the door and the wall.

What he saw shocked him. Ryuzaki, normally so calm and emotionless, was pacing back and forth, tears streaming down his face, hand over his mouth to stifle his sobs. Kanzo blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes before looking again, wondering whether his sleepy mind and eyes were deceiving him.

Another look showed Watari sitting on the edge of the bed, wringing his hands and speaking quietly to Ryuzaki. Kanzo frowned as he realized that the two men were conversing in rapid-fire English. _Of course_ , he thought. _Watari and Ryuzaki aren't Japanese. It makes sense that it wouldn't be their first languages_. He racked his mind, dragging up every scrap of knowledge he had of the foreign language, brain aching as he worked to decipher the accented English (of course they would have British accents – that's just great, as if it wasn't hard enough already).

"Ryuzaki," Watari whispered. "You must calm down. He is not your problem."

Ryuzaki dropped his hand and sniffed, wiping forcefully at his eyes. "Yes, he is." he said. "He always has been. You saw the footage, didn't you?"

Watari nodded solemnly, and L continued pacing. " _That's_ why the bells were so loud that day. It was him."

Watari rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Ryuzaki, one death couldn't have possibly caused all that, and we haven't received any reports of any excessive murders in LA since then."

Kanzo bit back a gasp of shock. _Murders_?

"It wasn't the death itself." Ryuzaki murmured. "It was a warning bell. It wouldn't be so erratic if it didn't mean that he posed a danger to my person."

"But he means to surpass you, not kill you, doesn't he?"

Kanzo bit his lip. _Who are they talking about_? _Who would want to kill Ryuzaki_?

"By killing me and solving the Kira case in my stead, that would automatically make him better than me, wouldn't it?" Ryuzaki replied, hopping onto the bed next to Watari and wiping at the tear tracks on his cheeks.

"Ryuzaki, you have other things to worry about." Watari stroked Ryuzaki's hair as if he was a small child. "Beyond can wait. The current case must remain your top priority."

Kanzo wrinkled his brow. _Beyond_? _That couldn't be a person, could it_?

Ryuzaki squatted on the bed, letting Watari smooth out the tangles in his rat's nest. "Even so. . ." he picked at his thumbnail. "Even if I wanted to ignore him, I couldn't. I'm almost a hundred percent sure that he's coming to Japan."

Watari placed his hand on Ryuzaki's shoulder. "I'll send a warning to our connections in the Japanese government, alright?" Ryuzaki nodded, biting his thumbnail.

Watari stood and walked over to the bedside table, retrieving a glass of water and small dish. Kanzo squinted and saw that there were six pills in it. Kanzo frowned. _Ryuzaki takes medication_? _Since when_? _Some of them are probably vitamins, but what about the other two_?

Wordlessly, Ryuzaki tilted his head back and swallowed the pills. Watari stood and headed for the door. Kanzo quickly turned and rushed back to his seat. When Watari had come back into the main room, everything was exactly as he left it, and he sat down at his laptop without sparing the Task Force a second glance.

Kanzo's rapid heartbeat slowed as he heard Watari settle down at his desk and start typing away at his laptop, leaving him to mull over the secrets that he had just overheard.


	6. Chapter 6: Lies

When the title of the chapter literally defines everything that L and BB do. . . XD

* * *

Beyond Birthday sat in his seat, tapping his armrest irritably. He had been told off for squatting in his seat, and flight attendants seemed to be somehow impervious to his venomous glares, leaving him no other alternative other than to stretch his legs out and sit like a normal person. In the end, it turned out fine, as he was able to move his legs freely for the first time in years, but he was still somewhat peeved that he couldn't think properly.

He was also somewhat peeved at that store clerk back in LA for picking out such _noticeable_ clothes. A leather jacket over a tight black t-shirt, ripped jeans complete with a chain hanging from the belt loop, and a pair of heavy boots to top off the whole 'LA gangster' look. He had received quite a number of looks while he was at the airport, and he had noticed that the employee he had bought his ticket from seemed rather flushed. He chuckled under his breath.

He looked out the window, looking out at the tops of the clouds. He smiled faintly and stretched. It had been a while since he had experienced freedom like this, and he meant to enjoy it.

Or he _would_ , if the woman next to him would stop staring at him.

He shot her an annoyed look. She had been ogling at him ever since she had sat down, and it was seriously starting to peeve him off. He finally sighed, before turning to her and asking, "Do you want something, or are you just going to keep staring?" she stared at him blankly. He sighed in exasperation before repeating the question in Japanese.

"Oh!" the woman cleared her throat. "I'm sorry. I was just wondering what happened to your face." she blushed. "Ack! I didn't mean it like that!"

 _Huh_. "Campfire accident." he said coolly.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that." she scratched awkwardly at her tray table. "So, what are you going to be doing in Japan? You don't look like a normal tourist or businessman."

"Visiting family." it was the same excuse he had used with the store clerk. And it _was_ technically true, anyways.

"Ah, me too!" she grinned. "What region do they live in?"

Beyond had hacked into the NPA databases at an internet café before heading to the airport, and had discovered that the Kira investigations were being carried out in Tokyo. That, coupled with the knowledge that L always stayed close to his investigations, had helped him deduce where he was staying. "They're in the Kanto region." he told the woman.

"Really? That's where I live!"

"Really." Beyond looked out the window, mind working. "Well, in that case, may I ask you for a favor?"

The woman blinked. "That depends. What is it?"

Beyond grinned. "Here's the thing. . ."

xxx

Beyond stood in front of the Oriental East Hotel, looking up at the fifty-floor building, squinting in the sun. It had taken him a while, but he had finally been able to narrow down which hotel L was staying in.

He grinned slightly, shifting in his new clothes. This was going to be interesting.

* * *

The Oriental East Hotel is the hotel that L built his base under in the drama, and I didn't really know where else to stick him so. . .


	7. Chapter 7: Surprises

I have just realized that my thing doesn't follow the original story/timeline at all o_O Oh well

Also, I have replace Chapter Six with a newer version so plz check that out :)

* * *

Beyond walked into the lobby, hunched over, hands in his pockets. He walked up to the man at the counter and cleared his throat.

The man looked up, and Beyond's eyes flicked to a point just above his head. _Aki Kenji_. Beyond looked the man in the eye and said, "I seem to have misplaced my key. Would you happen to have a spare?"

Aki blinked. "Oh, of course." he bent over, digging through a small box. "I didn't notice you leave, sir."

Beyond suppressed a sneer. _Idiots_. _This is to easy_. He spoke in what he hoped was a perfect replica of L's monotonous voice, "You were on your computer," as he reached out for the key.

As he turned away, he glanced at the number on the key. _2531_. He scoffed quietly. _Top-floor suite_. _Why am I not surprised_?

xxx

L woke with a start, blinking up at the ceiling. He sat up with a sigh, rubbing his forehead. He glanced at the clock sitting on the bedside table and groaned. Ten o'clock. He would need to tell Watari to get some weaker sleeping pills.

He stood, stretching before falling back into his usual hunched position and walking out the room. He stopped when he saw all of the Task Force members seated on the couch, looking at him.

"Good morning," he said, regaining his composure and reaching for a teacup waiting on the coffee table.

"Ryuzaki, would you mind if we talked to you for a bit?" Soichiro Yagami asked, shifting in his seat.

"Very well, what about?" L dropped a couple of sugar cubes in the tea and stirred it, straining his ears for the bells. They had been uncomfortably silent ever since the last time.

"Well," Aizawa cleared his throat, "Mogi said that he saw you last night. Crying."

L blinked and mentally slapped himself. _The door_! He had been careless. He bit his lip before taking a sip of the tea. "Did you, now?"

"And we have some questions," Aiazawa continued.

L felt a stab of annoyance run through him, and he tossed the spoon onto the table with a clatter. Everybody jumped. "Oh yeah? About what?" L crossed his arms and scowled. "You want to know why I was stressed? Well, here's some news for you. _I'm human too_. So, _forgive me_ for needing to have some emotions every once in a while, it's not like I'm a computer or anything."

The Task Force shifted uncomfortably. L had never had an outburst like this before. Mogi cleared his throat. "I'm sorry about that, L. It came out wrong. We mainly wanted to ask about the man you kept talking about. The one who wanted to kill you."

"Also, what drugs are you on?" Matsuda blurted out, before clapping his hands over his mouth. "Sorry!"

L scowled before grabbing his teacup and standing to his full height, straightening his back and glaring at Matsuda, who visibly shrank back. Aizawa and Mogi shot each other shocked, almost fearful looks, and Yagami gulped.

"I take antidepressants and vitamins, for obvious reasons," L said, his voice low and dangerous, "And the occasional sleeping pill. And another thing," he sipped his tea before shooting Mogi a look full of pure, murderous intent. "My personal life is none of your business. There are many people, all over the world, who wish me dead, and to tell you the names of each and every one of them would waste precious time that we do not have.

"Now, please continue your investigations." L sighed, bending over again so that he was in his usual position. He began walking towards his room when he heard the door creak. The Task Force let out shocked gasps, and Matsuda yelped.

L turned around and his mouth dropped open in a perfect O. His teacup slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor. The drink ran all over the floor, but L paid it no attention. He stood, shaking, in the middle of the room, transfixed as he stared, horrorstruck, into the pair of bright red eyes that had haunted his nightmares for the past eighteen years.

The face that was identical to his, down to every last detail, split into a manic sneer, and a cold, voice cut through the air, sharp as steel and cruel as blood.

"Surprised to see me, L?"


	8. Chapter 8: Meetings

Just FYI, Beyond calls L 'Ely' in this fanfic. It's supposed to be a nickname that he uses to mock him

* * *

Beyond stood grinning, watching L trembling like a leaf before him. He chuckled before taking a step forwards, mimicking the way that L walked, hunched over with his hands tucked into his pockets.

"Surprised to see me, L?" he laughed as L gulped, large black eyes flashing with terror. "Aw, don't tell me you're _scared_. That would make this no fun."

"What are you doing here?" despite obviously being shaken, L's voice was still calm and cool. Beyond was impressed.

"Just paying a visit to my darling little Ely." L snarled, and Beyond cackled. "Wow, you've gotten feral since we've last seen each other, haven't you?"

"How did you get here?" L and Beyond were walking around each other now, circling around like two panthers getting ready for a fight. "I warned the officials – "

Beyond scoffed, cracking his knuckles. "Please, I'm hurt if you think a few police at every entrance can deter me. I think we both know that my skills are better than that."

"True. I suppose that that was just wishful thinking on my part." L glared daggers at Beyond. "But, either way, you have just walked into a room full of police officers. You're going back to prison, Beyond, and this time, I'll make sure that you get the death penalty."

"I'm sure I will," Beyond purred, glancing around at the other men in the room, who had, so far, simply been staring at the two identical men, with their mouths hanging open like a bunch of dead fish. "I'm positive that your friend _Mr. Soichiro Yagami_ , will be professional enough to give me a good electro-shock before Kira finds out my real name." he saw Yagami's eyes widen, and sneered. "Or maybe _Shuichi Aizawa_ will just shoot me right here and now; he looks like the hot-headed type. And _Kanzo Mogi_ looks strong enough to squeeze the life out of me in an instant. I doubt _Touta Matsuda_ will be of any use though, he looks like an idiot."

"Shut up!" L shouted, and the Task Force jumped. They may have seen L angry just a few minutes ago, but his shout, full of pure fury was enough to make them want to run out the door with their tails between their legs. "Shut _up_!" L repeated, bunching his hands into fists.

"What, are you going to fight me?" Beyond laughed " _Hyuk hyuk hyuk_! I may have been molded to replicate you, Ely, but I can guarantee that I have at least ten times the muscle – "

He was cut off as L's foot hit him squarely in the stomach. The Task Force shouted as Beyond reeled back with a grunt, before looking up at L and sneering, "Taking lessons from Misora now?"

L blinked, startled. "Wait, you don't – "

He was cut off as Beyond's fist slammed into his gut, sending him reeling. L doubled over with a sharp cough, before Beyond leaped forwards, landing directly on top of him, pinning him to the ground.

Beyond scratched L across the face, leaving four thin lines, before snarling, "You could never beat me."

L glared up at him, before kicking him sharply in the stomach shoving him off of him. Beyond was thrown off, landing on the ground with a thump and a gasp. He got up almost at once, but was met with a punch in the cheek. Beyond snarled, reaching up to hit L again, but found that his arms were being held back by Shuichi Aizawa and Touta Matsuda. In front of him, L was being held back by Yagami and Mogi.

"Ryuzaki!" Yagami gasped, pulling on the straining L. "What is the meaning of this? What is going on?"

Beyond stopped straining, and stared at the still-struggling L. "Ryuzaki. . ?" he threw back his head and laughed. He felt Matsuda flinch. " _That's_ your alias?"

L stopped yanking at his arms, and simply glared at Beyond.

Beyond cackled again. "Couldn't get me out of your head, could you, brother dear?"

He heard the Task Force gasp. They all turned to L, who was glowering with such ferocity that, had he been a lesser man, would make Beyond want to turn tail and run.

"Ryuzaki, what's going on?" Yagami demanded. "Who is this man?"

L stood silent for a moment before answering, never breaking eye contact with Beyond. "This is Beyond Birthday, who has also gone by the alias Rue Ryuzaki. He was formerly second in line as one of my successors, the serial killer behind the L.A.B.B murder cases, and," here, L hesitated before continuing. "My older brother."

* * *

L hitting puberty a little late, don't you think?


	9. Chapter 9: Revelations

L's a liar, liar, pants on fire

The Task Force sat awkwardly, looking back and forth between the two brothers. They were seated across from each other, both crouching in the same manner and holding their knees. But now, as Soichiro studied them closer, he noticed that there were differences between them, and they were not complete doppelgangers, as he had originally thought.

Ryuzaki's hair gave off a dark hue that was almost blue in the light, while the locks of man called Beyond were browner, and almost chocolatey. L had dark circles under his eyes, which were pitch black, while Beyond's were red (actually _red_ ; Soichiro still couldn't get over that), and didn't have any shadows beneath them. L's face was calm, wise, and almost emotionless (most of the time), while Beyond was constantly grinning or cackling, bearing the face of a madman. Along with this, his face was streaked with burn that stretched below the neck of his white cotton shirt, identical to the one that L himself wore.

While the two men sat, L sipping his overly sweetened tea, and Beyond turning a hard candy around in his fingers, looking disappointed, the rest of the Task Force sat, looking over the reports from the 'L.A.B.B murder cases'. They pored through the countless notes and photographs, growing even more disgusted and horrified with each page.

"Oh, my god," Aizawa muttered as they flipped to a full-page collection of photographs of the three victims. Mogi covered his mouth, eyes wide with shock, and Matsuda made a noise somewhere in between a choke and a gag. Soichiro took a deep breath before looking back at the man that looked so much like Ryuzaki. He imagined Beyond – or was it Ryuzaki? – standing above the victims, murder weapons in his hands, laughing as he watched his victims died, blood splattered across his ethereal face and white clothes –

"Your imagination deceives you, Mr. Yagami." Beyond interrupted his thoughts. "Whatever you're thinking, it was nothing like that." his face split into a grin and he laughed. "It was much, _much_ better."

Aizawa suddenly stood up, slamming the papers onto the coffee table. "Ryuzaki, I can't believe this! How can you just sit here and let this. . . this _thing_ , that you worked so hard to put away sit here and act like this? I know he's your brother but – "

"Mr. Aizawa, if you think I am happy about this, you are sorely mistaken." Ryuzaki's voice was cold. "However, we must keep him here."

"And why in hell would we do that?" Aizawa shouted.

"Ryuzaki, I must agree with Aizawa on this." Soichiro said. "He is clearly a criminal, wicked beyond all of our worst nightmares."

"Think of it as a worthy development in the case." Ryuzaki replied, taking a sip of his tea and placing the cup on the table.

"What do you mean, Ryuzaki?" Matsuda asked.

"Do you remember the man I told you about, the man who could see a person's name just by looking at them?"

Beyond raised an eyebrow. "So, you did tell them about me?" he clutched his heart and sneered. "I'm touched, Ely."

Aizawa's jaw dropped. "But. . . but you said he was dead!"

Beyond crossed his arms at this. "Now I'm hurt. Are you that mad at me?" he pouted.

"Shut up, Beyond." L hopped out of his seat and walked towards the Task Force. "And I _did_ believe he was dead. Watari had concealed the fact that he was alive and well from me."

"Watari?" Beyond twisted around so quickly that he fell out of his seat. He jumped up almost at once. "He's here, too?"

"Yes, he should be coming in a few minutes." L checked the clock hanging on the wall. "Two and a half, to be exact."

Soichiro looked between L and Beyond. "So, Watari knows Beyond too?"

L didn't reply, but Beyond began cackling again, throwing his head back. "Oh, Ely, you really haven't told them _anything_ , have you?" L remained silent, hopping back onto his seat and picking up his teacup again. Beyond turned to the Task Force members, who all instinctively leaned back.

" _Know_ him? I more than just _know_ him." Beyond sneered. "He _raised_ me."

I couldn't write a good ending if my life depended on it -_-


	10. Chapter 10: Deals

Watari sighed internally as his phone began ringing. He rolled over, taking it from his bedside table and holding it up to his ear. "What is it, Ryuzaki?"

"Wrong Ryuzaki," a voice spoke from the other end, and a chill ran through Watari.

" _Beyond_?"

"That's right, Wammy." Beyond's voice purred from the other end of the line. "And don't worry, your precious L's safe. But we _would_ like to speak to you, if it isn't too much of a bother."

"How did you get here, Beyond?"

"I'll tell you everything, once you come here and explain why you told Ely I was dead." Beyond's tone remained unchanged, but there was an underlying note of anger now.

Watari blinked. So, they had already gotten into contact with each other. This was either the best thing that could happen for the investigation, or the worst.

"Beyond, I can explain – "

"You can come _explain_ when you come here." Beyond interrupted. "See you in a bit."

The line cut, and Watari dropped the phone with a groan. He was getting too old for this.

xxx

Upon entering Ryuzaki's room, Watari witnessed what he believed to be the strangest thing he had ever encountered in his career. The Task Force members sat in a row on the couches, while two Ryuzakis – no, only one Ryuzaki, the other _must_ be Beyond – sat in front of them on two seats facing each other, sipping tea in unison.

Hearing the creak of the door, Ryuzaki and Beyond turned their heads toward him. It was almost surreal to see the two identical men acting at the same time, as if they were opposite sides of a mirror. No, not identical. Both men had changed since they last met.

"Watari," Ryuzaki's disappointed gaze pierced Watari like a thousand knives. "Could you please explain why you made me to believe Beyond had been killed by Kira?"

Watari dipped his head. "I'm truly sorry, Ryuzaki. But when you first deduced that Kira need a face and a name to kill, you immediately thought of Beyond. I would not allow you to work with such and underhanded monster."

Beyond scoffed. "I'm right here, you know."

Ryuzaki ignored him. "Watari, you know that solving this case is more important than anything else."

Watari nodded. "Yes, Ryuzaki. I understand."

Ryuzaki sipped his tea again before placing in on the coffee table. "Now, we have something else to address." he turned to the Task Force. "I must know whether or not you are alright with having Beyond work with us on the case. You must understand that I will do whatever possible to track down Kira – to track down _any_ criminal, and that includes using other criminals."

The Task Force stared at Ryuzaki as if he had just proposed they ride a herd of pigs off the roof and hope they sprout wings. Yagami cleared his throat. "But, Ryuzaki, you are _L_. You control the law enforcement of every country in the world. And now you're saying that you've worked with _criminals_ in the past?"

"Yes, and very capable ones, at that." Ryuzaki replied. "And remember, Beyond wasn't always a criminal. He was formerly second-in-line as my successor, and as solved a number of minor, yet difficult, cases. And we need his ability."

"Second-in-line, huh?" Aizawa leaned forwards. "So, who was first? And why did he run off to become a criminal, anyways? I think we all need to know that before we decide." The rest of the Task Force mumbled in agreement.

Beyond's vermillion gaze turned cold and Ryuzaki looked at the floor. Neither of them said anything. Watari cleared his throat. "This is a very sensitive matter, gentlemen. I think you will understand why neither of them wish to discuss what happened in the past."

"Does it have anything to do with why Beyond looks like he ran through a wildfire?"

"Matsuda!"

"Wildfire, huh?" Beyond stroked the scars on his face. "I guess you could say that it has something to do with it."

"Either way," Soichiro Yagami sighed. "We can't turn down a lead like this."

"I agree." Mogi stroked his chin. "He can stay until the investigation is finished, and we can send him back to his asylum."

Aizawa sighed. "Fine, I guess we have to."

"Ah, ah, ah," Beyond wagged his finger. "Ely, I don't think this is fair. You're going to make me work for you, and then throw me back into the nuthouse to be tied up for the next fifty to sixty years?" he grinned. "I don't think that's fair."

Ryuzaki stood. "Think of it as another chance to surpass me."

"Still," Beyond kicked his legs over the armrest and leaned his head back so it dangled off the side. "Even I know the probability of me beating you to Kira is lower than three percent. Chances are, you already know who he is, but you lack sufficient evidence. You just need me to confirm it for you."

"Correct."

Beyond turned his face to Ryuzaki. "But I'm not going to give that information to you for free." he cackled.

Ryuzaki narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?"

Ryuzaki raised a fist. "Three things." he flicked up a finger with each request. "One, no more asylum. If I ever have to go into a straightjacket or a padded room, I'll probably go insane for real – stick me in the LA State Penitentiary instead, at least I can have some fun there; Two, I want a shorter sentence. Twenty years instead of life; And three," he sat up and leapt out of the chair, landing directly in front of Ryuzaki. He sneered, straightening his back so he was taller than Ryuzaki. "I want my name back."

Ryuzaki's eyes narrowed. The Task Force looked at each other, evidently confused. Beyond turned his head to Watari. "Nobody else has claimed it yet, have they? That would be a shame."

Watari glanced at Ryuzaki before sighing. "No. We have blacklisted the letter B in every system."

"I thought so." he turned back to Ryuzaki. "Once I'm out, you'll let me come back to Wammy's house. I'm surely more competent than anybody else, including your precious Near and Mello." he let out a couple of _hyuk hyuk hyuks_. "So?"

The Task Force exchanged surprised looks. _What were they talking about_? _This doesn't make any sense_!

Aizawa looked suspiciously at the two men, clenching his fist. _Do we know_ anything _about Ryuzaki, really_?

Ryuzaki glared at Beyond, before speaking in a low, barely controlled voice. "I will grant you the first two things. But the third is out of the question. Wammy's House and I stand for justice. And, I swear on my life, that you will _never_ return, not as long as I run it."

Beyond made a 'tsk' noise. "Fine, it was worth a shot. But," Beyond turned serious. "Don't think that just because you've grown more eloquent I'm still going to carry out on my promise."

Those words almost made Watari's heart stop. He inhaled sharply. "Beyond –"

"I know," Ryuzaki cut him off. "And I won't try and stop you."

Beyond gazed coldly at Ryuzaki. "You sit upon a throne of lies."

"Perhaps," Ryuzaki tilted his head to the side like a curious child. "But we all deceive and mislead, don't we?"

* * *

Yaaayy I finally got to use the line that I've been sitting on for the past two months! (you sit upon a throne of lies)


	11. Chapter 11: Memories

Wowzers, another long one! This one is supposed to be told in a dream motif, where Beyond is remembering things from when he was at Wammy's House with A. My take on A's death, basically. Also, A is a girl in here just because their gender was never made canon, and I've always kind of wanted a BxA thing ;)

And, another thing, the 'missions' everybody keeps talking about is inspired by the missions that other members of Wammy's House go on in _L: change the WorLd_ (movie because I haven't read the book and don't know whats in it -_-)

* * *

 _"_ _BB! Come on!" A shook B's arm, pouting. "Just_ tell _me!"_

 _B grinned shaking his head and putting a finger to his lips. "It's a secret!"_

 _"_ _But it's amazing!" A let go of B and crawled onto the table, sitting cross-legged on the surface. "You knew my real name before I even told you I was A! Watari's the only other person who knows my real name." she placed her elbows on her knees and rested her head in her hands, letting her curly black hair dangle in front of her face. She blew a lock aside before leaning in so her face was level with B. She grinned again. "Beeee-Beeee," she dragged his name out into a whine._

 _B squatted in his chair, thumb in his mouth. He smiled, red eyes looking into his friends'. He dropped his hand and reached for the jam jar on the table. "No,"_

 _Quick as a flash, A grabbed the jar and stood up, holding it out of B's reach. "Tell me!" she waved the jam teasingly, just out of his reach. "Or you never get it back!"_

 _"_ _No fair!" B jumped up onto his seat and leapt for the jar, but the older girl stood a good half inch taller than him when they were standing on the ground, and she was on the table._

 _A stuck her tongue out at him. "Tell me, tell me, tell me!"_

 _B sat back down with a huff, crossing his arms. A sat back down on top of the table, cradling the jam. "Well?"_

 _B tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm. . ." he looked up at A. "I'll tell you when we're older, ok?"_

 _"_ _When's that?" A asked. "No, wait. I know." she snapped her fingers. "Tell me when I'm fifteen! Watari said L would show himself to his successor when they turn fifteen!" she clapped happily. "Then I'll know_ everything _!"_

 _She handed the jar to B, who tried his best to look happy for his friend. "Right," he said, grinning weakly, sticking his hand into the jar. "L. . ."_

xxx

 _B squatted in his chair, holding his book in front of his face with his thumb and forefinger. He glanced at the clock hanging on the library wall and frowned. He had gone through this much trouble to trick Roger and sneak out after curfew._ Don't tell me she's late, _he thought irritably before turning back to the book._

 _A sudden crash caused B to jump, dropping the book in the process. He quickly shoved it under his seat before diving behind it himself, squishing his body into the space between the wall, chair, and fireplace._ Don't be Roger, don't be Roger, don't be Roger, _he prayed, crossing his fingers and peeking through the gap between him and the chair. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it wasn't Roger, but, rather, A. She limped towards a seat by the door, dropping her bag as she sat down with a groan._

 _"_ _A!" B clambered out from behind the chair. "You're back!"_

 _She looked up, and her tired face broke into a grin. "Hey!" she raised a hand which B excitedly high-fived. "How'd you sneak past security? I thought Roger installed motion sensors in the hallway."_

 _"_ _He did." B squatted in front of A, grinning triumphantly. I went through my window and came by the roof."_

 _"_ _You diabolical genius," A grinned._

 _"_ _So, how was the mission?" B asked, bringing his finger to his lips._

 _A reached into her pocket and pulled out a crumpled sheet of paper. She spread it out on her lap and showed it to B. It was the contract that all Wammy agents brought on their missions. The director of the FBI's signature was scrawled on the line at the bottom._

 _"_ _Sweet," B grinned._

 _"_ _I was shot." A rolled up her sleeve to show B a new scar on her dark skin. "Gave the asshole the beating of his life, though."_

 _"_ _Argh, I'm so jealous!" B lay on his back and flailed his legs like an upturned cockroach. "It's so_ boring _, to be stuck here all day!" he flopped his limbs on the ground and made a 'woe is me' expression. "Roger won't even let me touch the_ computers _. Computers! He thinks I'm going to hit the wrong button and show L's face to the world." he pointed at his own face. "Well, my face. Close enough."_

 _"_ _That sucks." A blew a strand of hair out of her face._

 _"_ _Even K got to go on a mission, and she's totally the kind of person who would create a deadly virus and spread it all over the world!" B sighed, sitting up._

 _"_ _Well," A twiddled her thumbs. "I have something that might cheer you up." she reached into her bag and pulled out a small wooden box. She handed it to B, who opened it curiously._

 _"_ _No way," he pulled out a small, delicately made, switchblade. "You're kidding." he looked at A, shocked. "How did you get this through security? I thought nobody was allowed to keep souvenirs!"_

 _A winked. "I'm not top of Wammy's House for nothing."_

 _"_ _And yet the backup is me," B mused, lying down again and flicking his new blade open._

xxx

 _"_ _Shinigami eyes?"_

 _A sat, staring at B as if he had just sprouted a second head. "You're kidding. You've got_ magic eyes _?"_

 _"_ _Death god eyes," B corrected, picking a bit of jam out from his slice of A's birthday cake. "And yes, I do."_

 _A whistled, leaning back in her seat. "And they let you see the name and lifespan of everybody?"_

 _"_ _Everybody whose face I can see." B replied, licking his fork clean. "Any questions?"_

 _A just stared at him, shaking her head. "Are you kidding? I mean, I wish I could believe this was a joke, but. . ." she massaged her nose. "You saw my real name the day we first met. And you predicted when those people we saw on the news would die." she stared at him, awestruck._

 _"_ _That's right, Teresa Abraham." B grinned. "Anything else?"_

 _A leaned forward, her expression deadly serious. "B," she said in a voice as serious as her face. "_ When am I going to die?"

 _B turned away from her. "I can't tell you."_

 _"_ _Why not?" A asked. "You're not a Shinigami – you won't get in trouble or anything if you tell me when I expire."_

 _B looked down. "A. . . I don't think your death is going to be natural."_

 _"_ _What do you mean?" A was leaning so close that B could smell the sugar from the cake on her breath. "Is my lifespan freakishly long? Short? Weird?"_

 _"_ _A!"_

 _"_ _Just tell me!" A's golden-brown eyes bored into his. "Please, BB." she said, using his old nickname. "I need to know." her bottom lip quivered. "It could help. . ."_

 _B looked down. He knew that A had been under a huge amount of stress lately. Everybody was watching her. She was L's first heir, destined to one day take up his mantle._

 _Everybody, that is, except B._

 _Because B_ knew _._

 _A stared pleadingly at B. He bit his lip before looking at his hands clasped in his lap. "Two weeks."_

 _A blinked. "What?"_

 _"_ _Two weeks from today, at 7:15 pm." B repeated. "Now, please, A, don't ask me anything else."_

 _A looked at him, eyes dull. "Fine." she stood up. "Thank you for telling me, B." She turned and started walking out of the little kitchen._

 _"_ _Wait!" B leapt out of his chair. "You'll get caught! You'll get in trouble!"_

 _"_ _Does it matter?" A left the room, slamming the door behind her._

xxx

 _"_ _A?" B knocked on her bedroom door again. "A? Are you in there?"_

 _He knocked again. Though he knew in his heart that she was dead, he kept knocking, holding out hope. Maybe she had managed to avoid whatever it was that would have killed her._

 _"_ _A! Come on, it's not funny anymore!" B knocked harder, then rattled the handle. "Open the door, A!"_

 _Still no response. B began to feel a panic fluttering in his chest. Finally, he grabbed the handle and yanked. The wood of the door cracked, and the lock broke. He kicked open the broken door, running inside. "A!"_

 _He was hit with a rotten, metallic smell and stopped short. A was lying on her back, wearing a pure white gown soaked in red. Her wrists had been slit open, so deep that B could see exposed bone. The blood spilled around her, so that she was lying in a red pool. Her hair was floating in the pool, making a halo around her face, which was covered with splattered blood. In one hand, she held a kitchen knife. The other hand was holding a photograph. It was covered in blood, but B could see that it was of him and A when they were little._

 _A long, piercing, drawn out scream broke the silence of the night_

xxx

B woke with a jolt, sitting up. He looked around him, and his body began to relax as he saw that he was in the room that Watari had booked for him. He put his head in his hands with a sigh. He hadn't thought about that night in years.

He was surprised to feel something trickle down his wrist. He raised his hand to see a teardrop. He touched his cheek and felt the track the tear had traced.

He sighed before lying back down and covering his face with his pillow. He needed to get some sleep. He was positive that the crazy insomniac had an equally cray plan for tomorrow.

* * *

Sorry A's scene was kind of gory, I wanted something to explain BB's obsession with blood and elaborate wonunds :|


	12. Chapter 12: Memories (continued)

Part two of the previous chapter, because it was too long otherwise :D

* * *

 _Lawliet shifted closer to his brother, shivering in the cold. "BB. . . it's cold," he whimpered, clutching his brother tightly around the waist._

 _"_ _I know," Beyond was shivering even more than Lawliet, but held him tight anyways. "It'll be alright."_

 _He huddled deeper into the cardboard box that he had found in the alleyway, watching the snow drift by outside. Normal children would be putting on their boots and gloves and running outside to play. Not them. They would be searching for a place to sleep, a sheltered alleyway, perhaps, or maybe even a church if they were lucky._

 _Lawliet shivered as a snowflake drifted in through the open end of the box and landed on his skin. His clothes were thin and threadbare, and his shoes were being held together by barely a thread. The two of them were being kept warm by nothing but an old child's parka that Beyond had stolen from a donation bin._

 _In the distance, Lawliet could hear the bells tolling. A christening. He shivered, envying the lucky baby. How must it feel, to be warm and feel loved by an entire chapelfull of people?_

 _The bells were drowned out by the tolling of another bell – the church clock had just struck twelve. He hugged Beyond tighter and whispered, through the chattering of his teeth, "Happy Birthday, big brother." Beyond mumbled a quiet word of thanks._

 _Suddenly, they heard the sound of footsteps crunching through the snow. L peeked through the gap in the box to see a pair of feet wearing polished, expensive-looking loafers. The man connected to the feet knelt down and peered into the box. He was an old man, with a kind face and big bushy mustache._

 _"_ _Look at you," he mumbled. "Poor things."_

 _Beyond clutched at Lawliet, but he pulled himself out of his brothers grip, squeezing out of the box towards the old man. He was only six years old, but he was already immensely intelligent, and he knew he could trust this man. The man picked him up and Lawliet was immediately flooded in the warmth from his thick down jacket. The man bent over. "You can come out too. Don't worry, I won't hurt you."_

 _Beyond crawled out hesitantly, eyes narrowed. He glanced at Lawliet, who was clinging to the old man, before letting himself be picked up as well._

 _The old man held the two boys in his arms and began walking away. "I'll bring you somewhere safe."_

xxx

 _Lawliet sat amongst the pile of parts and tools that Mr. Wammy kept in the corner of his office. He wrapped two wires around each other before attaching them to the little contraption he was building. He took a screwdriver and carefully turned one of the screws a bit._

 _Just then, Mr. Wammy walked in. He gasped and rushed forwards when he saw the little boy sitting on the ground in a pile of sharp metal pieces and holding a power tool. He ran forwards, "Lawliet! Wait –"_

 _He stopped, dumbstruck when Lawliet placed the contraption he had built on the ground and pulled a wire. The tiny metal horse began rolling along the ground, it's chunky metal legs attached to little bolts that acted as wheels. It went around in a circle before running into Quillsh's foot. He picked it up and looked at it, examing the wires that criss-crossed this way and that, and at the carefully placed pieces of scrap metal wrapped around the wires, forming the body of the tiny horse. He pulled carefully at a wire and the wheels slowed, then stopped._

 _He knelt in front of Lawliet, who was grinning triumphantly. "Lawliet," he said, holding up the horse. "Did you make this?"_

 _The boy nodded happily, and Quillsh shook his hand, awestruck. "Alright. . ." he mused. "Alright. . ."_

xxx

 _Quillsh sighed, rubbing his temples. "Sir, this will go a lot easier for us if you just cooperate."_

 _The suspect for the murders of four women glared at the camera. "I've been framed!"_

 _Quillsh leaned over and pressed the button on his microphone, watching his computer monitor at the live video of the convict. "Where were you when Arisa Forester, Luna Sombra, Erika Blade, and Isabelle Rune were killed?"_

 _"_ _I want a lawyer!"_

 _Quillsh sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. Lawliet looked up from where he had been sitting in the corner, a lollipop in his mouth. He had already finished all of the textbooks for the orphanage students, even the ones for the upper-level and university students, and he had proven to be much smarter than any tutor that the Roger hired for him. Therefore, he was allowed to stay with Mr. Wammy in his study during the day while everybody else was in classes and play with his tablet and scrap pieces._

 _While Quillsh had been interrogating the suspect, Lawliet had been reading through the file, which had been tossed haphazardly to the side. He read through it surprisingly quickly, then stood up._

 _He walked over to where Mr. Wammy was sitting and crawled up onto his lap. Before Mr. Wammy could say anything, Lawliet pressed the button, leaned in, and said, "Zachary Wilson, you are free to leave. Gentlemen, please release him from his bonds."_

 _He released the button and watched as the guards undid his handcuffs and let Zachary Wilson walk away."_

 _"_ _Wha — Lawliet!" Mr. Wammy stood up, fuming. Lawliet tumbled off his lap and landed on the ground. He sat up immediately and began sucking his thumb. "I know we have given you more leniency than any of the other children, but this is unacceptable! We have spent weeks tracking down that criminal!"_

 _Lawliet held up the case file, pinching it in between his thumb and forefinger. "He wasn't guilty," he said, sucking on his lollipop. He opened it and pointed at the list of suspects. "Owen Lee, age thirty two, recently released from jail for molesting a young woman. His alibi is that he was always with friends, but none of the places that he claimed to have been at have security cameras, and they're all suspiciously far away from each other, despite the fact that the murders all occurred during the span of six days. This alone cannot be used to determine his guilt. However," at this point Lawliet dropped his finished lollipop stick and took a hard candy from the bowl on Mr. Wammy's desk. "That alone cannot be used to determine his guilt. What is truly suspicious is this." Lawliet pointed at a note in the file. "Mr. Lee claimed that, while Ms. Rune was being murdered, he was at Sugarbush Ski Resort, in Vermont. This is suspicious because," Lawliet reached for another candy. "Mr. Lee is known for being extremely bad at alpine sports, including skiing, and is only capable of green runs. And, on the day in question, there was a heavy rainstorm that caused all of Sugarbush's runs to be closed except for the highest ones, which were all black and blue runs." Lawliet looked up at Mr. Wammy, who's jaw had dropped into a perfect O._

 _"_ _Mr. Wammy?" Lawliet tilted his head to the side, as if he had not just spouted a detailed explanation that all of England's best detectives couldn't come up with._

 _"_ _Hold on," Quillsh dug his mobile phone out of his pocket and dialed his superior's number. "Sir? Yes, I'm sorry, I know he was difficult to catch. . . no, it wasn't a mistake. . . yes, I have a reason. . . correct, he was innocent. . . of course I have a reason! I'm sorry, sir, didn't mean to shout. . . That's not what I wanted to talk about." he cleared his throat. "Sir, one of the children here has just deduced who the true culprit is. No, I'm not joking. Yes, it is credible. He is the most intelligent person in the orphanage, even more than myself, I daresay."_

 _There was a pause. "Yes, I'll bring him to you at once."_

xxx

 _"_ _Watari, just let me see him."_

 _"_ _I'm sorry, L, you know I cannot permit that." Watari sighed. "You are no longer Lawliet. You must remain in the shadows at all times."_

 _"_ _He's my brother!"_

 _"_ _He is your_ backup _." Watari snapped, then sighed. "I'm sorry, L. But this is necessary. Please return to your work."_

 _L narrowed his eyes. "Does Beyond even know that I'm L?" Watari didn't reply. "Watari."_

 _Watari sighed. "Beyond is unaware that you are L, or that you are still at Wammy's House. He has been lead to believe that you were adopted without him years ago."_

 _Watari turned away as L's broken gaze fixed his. "I'm sorry, L. But you must remember, you do not exist for yourself anymore. You job is more important than anything."_

 _He looked back at L, who's eyes had gone dull and empty. The boy turned back towards his laptop, pulling his knees to his chest. When he spoke, his voice was cold and emotionless._

 _"_ _I understand."_


	13. Chapter 13: Conversations

Whaaattt, Light and Misa are in the story now? Unheard of!

* * *

Light leaned back in his seat, stretching. "Misa, are you done?"

Misa dropped her pen. "Yup!" she smiled at Light, blushing scarlet. "That was fun, Light."

"It's not supposed to be fun, it's supposed to be serious." Light replied coolly. "Remember, you're only here because I need your eyes, or else I would have already killed you."

"Misa doesn't care!" the infuriating woman grabbed Light's arm, rubbing her face on it like she was a cat. "Misa loves Light! You can do whatever you want with me, and even throw me away!"

Light sighed. "Let go, Misa." she pouted before letting go. "Listen, Misa, we need to be careful. You tracked me down at my school thanks to your eyes, and we've introduced you to my mother, but it's still too dangerous to work together."

"What?" Misa looked devastated. "Does that mean Misa and Light can't go on dates anymore?"

Light resisted the urge to bang his head on his desk. "They're not _dates_ – we're judging criminals to make the world a better place, remember? And L's closing in; I can feel it."

Misa crossed her arms, looking sulky. "But you won't let Misa give you her number! How are we going to spend time together now?"

Light rubbed his forehead. "Here's what I'm thinking – I'll buy a burner phone, so I can still call you, but you can't contact me. That way, our conversations can't be tracked. I'll tell you when you're allowed to pass judgement. Don't use the Note outside of those times."

"So, I can't see you anymore?" Light shook his head and Misa pouted, blinking up at him with bright, forget-me-not blue eyes. When Light didn't waver, she huffed and blew a strand of blond hair out of her face.

" _No_. If I need to use your eyes, then I'll call you. Otherwise, you're forbidden to contact me."

Misa sniffed. "All right, Light. Misa will listen to you because Misa loves you!" she made a kissy noise with her lips and beamed.

Light sighed internally. _It'll be a miracle if I don't go insane before we kill L_. . .

xxx

"I'm not doing it!"

"Yes, you are."

"I'll be damned to hell twice over before I play _tennis_ with a suspect."

"Well, you're already a serial killer. . ."

"Hey, you want me to punch you again?"

L crossed his arms. "Beyond, we need you to meet Light and use your eyes. If he's Kira, he shouldn't have a lifespan, right?"

"It's just speculation." Beyond tapped his fingers irritably. "And besides, there's no way I'm wearing _contact lenses_. I don't even know if my eyes work through those!"

"Beyond, you promised that you'd do whatever we needed you to."

"No, I promised to not disembowel you all in your sleep."

"Same difference." Beyond sighed, turning the contact lens container around in his fingers. "I don't see why you can't do it. Won't your bells just go berserk once you stand close enough to him?"

"Bells?" Soichiro Yagami asked quickly. "What bells, Ryuzaki?"

L stiffened. "It's nothing."

Beyond chuckled. "You haven't told them? Hypocrite."

L glared at him before leaning in, quickly switching to English. "Beyond, my bells are completely different from your eyes. They are simply a nuisance, nothing more nothing less. You cannot tell them about them."

"Why ever not?" Beyond asked, taking the hint and switching to his native tongue. His British accent had faded over the years, and he spoke in the quick, loud way that L had learned to associate with Americans. "You had no qualms telling them all about my eyes."

"Because the Second Kira most likely has the same ones!" L hissed. "I doubt anybody else has a chorus of church bells ringing in their ears."

"So, what? They're just as useful."

"Are not."

"Are too."

"You're insufferable."

"And you're completely out of the loop."

"Excuse us." Aizawa interrupted in Japanese, looking rather peeved. "But would you mind speaking a language all of us understand?"

Beyond scoffed before leaning back. "Fine, _L_ , I'll play your stupid tennis with your stupid suspect. But I expect a boxful of jam in return."

* * *

Why can't Beyond just look at a picture of Light to see whether or not he has a lifespan? Because PLOT HOLES!


	14. Chapter 14: Calls

Mr. Yagami didn't have a heart attack in this fic, so Light hasn't been told to call L Ryuzaki yet. Also, two chapters today, because I forgot to update earlier XD

* * *

Beyond dragged himself back into L's room and flopped onto a chair.

"Did it go well?" L asked casually, stirring his tea.

Beyond made an incoherent noise. "That kid plays hard. But I got results."

"What? Did my son have a lifespan? Did he not? Tell me!" Soichiro Yagami demanded.

Beyond raised a finger. "Give me jam. Then we'll talk."

xxx

"What!?"

Soichiro Yagami jumped up. "What do you mean, Beyond?"

Beyond licked his fingers. "I already told you. He doesn't have a lifespan. And neither does his girlfriend."

L leaned in. "Girlfriend?"

"What are you talking about?" Soichiro Yagami exclaimed. "My son doesn't have a girlfriend, and he definitely _isn't_ Kira."

"The numbers don't lie, Yagami." Beyond clawed at the bottom of the jar, reaching for a chunk of jam he had missed. "Or lack of, I guess."

"Who is this girlfriend, Beyond?" L asked.

"Oh, her name was Amane." Beyond replied. "Misa Amane."

xxx

Light was scribbling names as fast as he could when his phone rang. Picking it up, he saw that it was his father. "Hey Dad."

"Light." his father sounded exhausted. "I need you to bring Misa Amane to the Sakura Garden Hotel."

"What?" Light asked. "How do you know about Misa? And what's at the Sakura Garden?"

"I'm sorry, Light. Please, just do it."

Light frowned. "Dad, wait – " the line cut before he could say anything else and he cursed. "Damnit."

He stuck the phone in his pocket and reached for his pen. As he unscrewed the inkwell, he wondered how his father had found out about Misa. _Could it be_? He thought back to earlier that day, when he had played tennis with Ryuga, the man who claimed to be L. He had seen Misa. _Did Ryuga tell my father? But why? It's not suspicious that I have a girlfriend, is it?_ He shook his head as he slid the Death Note back into its usual spot. _That can't be what's happened. . . can it?_

He reached under his mattress and pulled out his burner phone. He mentally braced himself as he dialed Misa's number and held the phone slightly away from him, as if he expected it to explode.

"Light!" Light flinched as the idiotic woman practically screamed into her phone. "Misa's been waiting so long for you to call, what took you so long? You didn't call Misa at all yesterday, it's been so boring! And Misa haven't gotten to use the notebook at all, Light, you haven't been really nice to me lately."

"Keep your voice down," Light hissed into the phone, ignoring Ryuk laughing behind him. "Don't shout about the notebook in public – are you insane?"

"Don't worry, Light!" Misa squeaked happily from the other end. "I'm actually in my dressing room right now, so it's fine!"

"Have you never heard of bugs?" Light sighed and debated whether he should just hang up and go alone. He ended up deciding that would be suspicious. "Listen, Misa, I need you to cancel the rest of your plans for the afternoon and meet me at the Sakura Garden Hotel."

Misa gasped at the other end. "A _hotel_? Oh, Light, you're so forward!" she giggled.

Light screamed silently. "No, Misa. I think that's where L's staying right now, and he's just invited us – both of us."

Misa gasped. "Light, that's great! So you want Misa to come and kill L, right?"

"No. I need you to come and see his name, but you're not allowed to kill him until we leave and I tell you to, and even then, it has to be very specific. I'll bring a piece of the Death Note, but you leave your notebook at home, okay?"

"Okay, Light!" Light could practically hear the woman nodding. "I'll go right now."

"See you there." Light hung up before she could say anything else. He stood up with a sigh, checking his wallet to make sure that his Death Note page was there. On an afterthought, he grabbed his penknife from his desk and slipped it into the hem of his pants. _Just to be safe_.

He grinned to himself as he left the house. _Choosing to invite us today was a mistake, Ryuga. Today is the day you die_.


	15. Chapter 15: Accusations

I just realized that Beyond isn't supposed to see Light and Misa's lifespans ️ kms

* * *

"They're here."

L peered at the television with the surveillance footage of the lobby. He saw Light enter, and the model, Misa Amane, practically throw herself at him.

"He doesn't look particularly happy to see her." he noted, tracing his lip with his thumb.

"He was like that at To-Oh, too." Beyond added. "He seemed almost tired of her."

"Keeping her around simply for necessity?" L suggested.

"I agree."

Soichiro Yagami sighed. "Ryuzaki and Beyond, I am fully aware that we are certain that my son is Kira, but could you please stop discussing him as if he is a cut of meat? It doesn't sit right with me."

"Your _son_ doesn't sit right with me." Beyond grumbled.

L pressed the button on his speaker. "Watari, please bring them up here."

"Yes, sir."

Beyond made an indistinguishable noise of disgust as he watched the two Kiras follow Watari to the elevator. "Cowards. At least I had the decency to do it with my hands." Soichiro visibly wilted in his seat.

There was a knock on the door. L sipped his tea. "Come in."

The door opened and Watari entered, followed by Light and Misa. The two Kiras stopped and stared, clearly dumbstruck by the sight of the two identical men.

"Ryuga – Ryugas?" Light blinked, evidently confused. "What's going on?"

"Light," L hopped nimbly out of his seat, followed by Beyond. The two men walked up to Light, hunched in the same form with their hands tucked in their pockets, wide eyes gazing at him. One pair black as night, the other red as blood. Light shifted uncomfortably under their near-identical scrutinizing gazes.

"Light Yagami." The other Ryuga mused, glancing at a point just above his head. "Hmm. . . your numbers are incredibly low for a man your age." He glanced at Misa. "And hers are just so unnaturally high. . . what an opposing couple!" he laughed in the way that Ryuk did so often.

Light felt a chill go down his spine. _Numbers? It can't be_. . .

"Light," Ryuga repeated. "You and Misa Amane are under arrest."

Misa gasped and grabbed at Light's arm. "What? You can't do this! Misa-Misa didn't do anything wrong!"

"Ryuga, what do you mean?" Light asked as he tried to pry Misa off of him. "What's gotten into you?"

"We don't need a reason, Kira." The other Ryuga sneered.

"What are you talking about? I'm not Kira!" Light finally yanked Misa off. "Ryuga, you can't still be on that!"

"Light," Light turned and saw his father sitting on the couch, looking like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"Dad!" Light jumped at the opportunity. "You can't possibly believe this!"

His father lowered his head. "I'm sorry, Light."

"Dad!" Light's heart began pumping frantically. _This isn't good. The other Task Force members haven't said anything. At this rate_. . .

"The eyes don't lie, Light-kun." the other Ryuga purred. "I'm sure your girlfriend can confirm that."

 _Eyes_?! Light began to feel frantic. _No way! Does he have a Death Note, too_?

"I was born with them, if you were wondering." the man laughed. "You're too easy."

"Light, it would be better if you and Miss Amane would cooperate." Ryuga suddenly held two pairs of handcuffs as if they had materialized from thin air. He tossed one to his look-alike, who caught it.

"No!" Misa cowered behind Light. "You don't have the eyes! You still have a lifespan! Misa can see it!" Light resisted the urge to slap her. _You idiot_!

"And that, Miss Amane, is all the proof we need." Ryuga walked forwards.

"Light, please cooperate." his father said, looking weary. "It will make everything much easier."

Light felt Ryuga's ice-cold fingers on his hand and the touch of metal to his wrist. A sudden primitive panic overtook him. Before Ryuga could lock the cuffs on him, he reached into his pants and yanked out the penknife. He swung it out before anyone could react, catching Ryuga – catching _L_ across the chest, slicing a thread of scarlet over the white of his shirt.

L fell back with a pained gasp, grabbing at the cut on his chest, dropping the cuffs. His doppelganger lunged forwards, but Light darted out of the way dragging the screaming Misa with him. Matsuda screamed, and Aizawa shouted out. His father jumped up, but Light witnessed this all in the space of a second. The Ryuga double swung a punch at him, which Light easily blocked, but he was surprised when a fish hit him in the stomach.

"Sneak attack, bitch." the man snarled, reaching for the penknife that lay on the floor. But Light wasn't nearly as stunned as he appeared, and kicked it aside, running for the door with obsolete woman with him.

He slammed the door shut and yanked on the handle in a way that he knew would jam it. He leaned against it for a moment, breathing heavily, listening to the people inside banging on it. But knowing L, he would surely have an alternative escape route.

"Come on," he grabbed Misa by the wrist and pulled her.

"Light!" she tugged at his arm. "What's going to happen? Misa's scared!"

Light ground his teeth furiously. "Just shut up and follow me!"

* * *

OoF poor L, always getting beaten up XD


	16. Chapter 16: Tickets

I actually Googled a map of Tokyo, so I'm _pretty_ sure I got the geography right (but then again, I did fail third grade social studies so yu can never be sure. . .)

* * *

Light leaned back in his seat, groaning and clutching the stitch in his side.

Misa sat beside him, chattering frantically. At first, she had been hesitant to run away, but Light had managed to sweet-talk her into it. Now, she was just excited that they were going to Shinigawa-Ku.

"Misa's never been there before! This is going to be fun! Misa wonders if anybody will know her there?"

"It would be best if they didn't." Light pulled up his shirt to check that the Death Note (which he had grabbed frantically, along with his mother's wallet when they burst into his house) was still tucked firmly in his pants. "We're on the run now." he shot the woman a glare. "This never would have happened if you hadn't let slip about the eyes!"

Misa's annoying Shinigami glared at Light. "You cannot blame her for this!" she hissed. "This is all _your_ fault – you put Misa in danger!"

"Shut up," Light growled. "We've only got a while until my father realizes that my mother's card's been stolen – we'll have to take all the money we can out the moment we find an ATM."

Misa cuddled against Light's shoulder. "Misa's so excited! Misa think's that this is just like a honeymoon!"

Light growled, shrugging her off, as their train sped off towards their destination.

xxx

L lay on the couch, occasionally letting out a small groan.

"Hold still, damnit." Beyond growled, dabbing at the slash across his chest with a cotton swab soaked in antiseptic. "Still can't believe that psycho managed to pull a knife on you – what happened to your reflexes?"

"A decade and a half of sitting in front of a computer does that to a person." L winced slightly. "Ouch."

While Beyond and L snarled at each other, Matsuda and Aizawa tapped frantically at their laptops. "It looks like Light and Misa left their phones at your house, chief. . . I guess it's safe to assume they're using burners." Matsuda looked up at Soichiro Yagami, who sat with his head in his hands.

"Chief," Aizawa said. "I know you're not up to it, but we need to catch them."

Soichiro lifted his head. "Yes, I'm sorry." he stood up with a heavy sigh. He glanced at L, who was sitting still as Beyond wrapped a bandage around his chest. "Ryuzaki, I'm so sorry, I had no idea – "

L waved the apology away. "It's alright. I just didn't know that a penknife would cut that deep."

Matsuda blinked. "Wait. . . so you knew?"

Beyond snorted. "Yagami's son wears unbecomingly tight clothing. Anybody who couldn't see the outline is blind."

Aizawa bristled at the insult. "Now, listen here you little—"

"Mr. Aizawa," L interrupted, pulling a new white shirt over his bare chest. "I would appreciate if none of you would bicker right now. We have two serial killers on the loose, and they now know both our names and faces. We could be killed at any time."

The Task Force quieted. The silence was broken by Beyond sighing. "Well, nothing to be helped about that. If they kill us, they kill us. We've just got to catch them before they do."

Matsuda glared at Beyond. "Easy for you to say – why didn't you just catch them right then? Didn't you disembowel three people?"

"That doesn't make me invincible, Matsu-dumb." Beyond snarled.

"I believe," L broke in, "That they are headed to headed to either Shinigawa-Ku or Shibuya-Ku. They are the two regions closest to Minato, and the fastest to get to."

"That's a good thought, Ryuzaki." Soichiro agreed. "How do we find them?"

L hobbled forwards, tapping at Soichiro's laptop. He pulled up a number of surveillance videos. "Here. I've hacked into the surveillance videos for every ticket counter at every train station in the area."

"I can take over from here." Beyond nudged past L, leaning over the laptop. Everybody in the room held their breaths as he stared unblinkingly at the screen, red eyes practically glowing. A few minutes passed, before Beyond cried out. "There!" he tapped a key, narrowing his eyes at the screen.

"They're going to Shibuya!" Matsuda cried. "This is great – now we know where they are!"

"No," L shook his head. "If Light's smart – and I know he is – he'll get off halfway down the line and switch."

"They could be anywhere in Tokyo." Mogi sighed, "This is impossible."

L narrowed his eyes. "Well, then, we'll have to make it possible."


	17. Chapter 17: Names

Sorry for the short chapter, I got lazy :X

* * *

Light sat on the floor of the old warehouse that he and Misa had been living in. He snarled slightly as Misa rolled over and grabbed him around his waist, rubbing her cheek against his leg. He didn't care about Rem's threats, if he had to put up with her and her antics for much longer, he was going to write her name in his notebook.

He sighed, caressing the Death Note slightly. It had become grubby and dusty in the time that they had spent in the warehouse. He sighed with frustration. _I am going to kill L in the most painful way possible, I swear_. . .

xxx

 _Light hopped off the train, followed shortly by Misa. He had just walked a few steps when he stopped dead. Ryuk began laughing, and Rem hissed in fury._

 _The television in the station had two photos of him and Misa on the screen._ KIRA AND THE SECOND KIRA DISCOVERED _, the screen declared._ SUSPECTS WANTED FOR QUESTIONING _._

 _"_ _Damn," Light breathed. "Misa, get back on the train."_

 _"_ _What? Light – "_

 _"_ _Just do it!" Light shoved Misa forcefully back on board before running back on himself._

 _"_ _But Light, I thought we were going to Shinigawa." Misa whined. "Misa was excited!"_

 _"_ _Well, guess what, L one-upped us again." Light snapped, sitting down. Suddenly, he thought of something. "Wait, Misa! Do you remember the two men we saw earlier, who looked exactly the same?"_

 _"_ _Yeah!" Misa nodded. "One of them was Mr. Ryuga, who isn't really Ryuga, and the other one was another Ryuga!"_

 _"_ _Right," Light said, beating down the urge to shake an answer out of her. "What was Ryuga's name?"_

 _"_ _It was really funny!" Misa giggled. "I didn't think it was his real name at first – it sounds like something from a comic!"_

 _"_ _What was it?" Light asked, feeling his patience pushing the limits._

 _"_ _Beyond Birthday!" Misa laughed. "See? Funny!"_

Beyond Birthday? An English name? _"That can't be L's name, but how –" he stopped and slammed a fist into his palm. "That bastard. . ."_

 _"_ _What?"_

 _"_ _L sent Beyond Birthday today, instead of going himself." Light growled. "What a sneak."_

 _"_ _So L must have been the other Ryuga, right?" Misa asked._

 _"_ _Yes!" Light grabbed Misa by the shoulders. "Misa – tell me his name, every single detail. Spelling, punctuation,_ everything _!"_

 _"_ _Oh!" Misa replied. "His name was really funny too – I think it was one word and and initial."_

 _"_ _Okay," Light said, fighting down his anger. "_ What was it _?"_

 _"_ _Just L!" Misa said, beaming like a small child. "L. Lawliet."_

* * *

Uh-oh. . .


	18. Chapter 18: Hurts

Another dream chapter, cause y'all know how much I love delaying the plot XD Also, I actually just finished writing the whole story a few hours ago, so two chapters instead of one everyday, because I'm mean! Yay!

* * *

 _B sat in the hallway, absentmindedly tossed a ball in the air, scooping up a handful of jacks. He sighed, scattering them back on the floor. Sneaking out was no fun anymore, now that A was always away or tired out from missions._

 _There was a creaking down the hall, and he looked up. The door at the end of the hall had swung open. The door to L's office. B inhaled sharply and, grabbing his jacks, slithering behind a statue in the hallway._

 _He peeked out as a shadowy form stepped out from the room, closing it gently behind him. The man turned, and his face was cast into moonlight. Beyond squinted his eyes. L looked younger than Beyond, which he hadn't expected, but he really did look just like him. Same tousled hair, same pale skin, and same gentle features. However, L had deep shadows under his eyes, which were sunken deep into his face, while B's face was clear of any marks or blemishes._

 _B's eyes travelled to L's lifespan, then frowned. Something was awfully familiar about those numbers. . . His eyes moved up a bit more, and his jaw dropped._

 _L. Lawliet._

 _"_ _No way," he breathed._

 _L's head turned his way, and B saw the no longer familiar eyes squint in suspicion. "Who's there?" when nobody replied, he walked forwards._

 _B squeaked in terror and fell out from behind the statue. "Lawliet!"_

 _L stopped. He had grown taller, and, if he straightened his back, he may have been even taller than B. "B?" he tilted his head. "How did you sneak past security?"_

 _"_ _Lawliet!" B repeated, scrambling up and grabbing his brother in a bone-crushing hug. "It's me! Beyond!"_

 _When B released Lawliet, he was horrified to discover that he hadn't moved at all. "Lawliet?"_

 _"_ _You should be in your room." those six words pierced B's heart like a thousand frozen icicles._

 _"_ _Lawliet?"_

 _He turned away from him and began walking down the hall, hands shoved in his pockets, back bent, and using the same shuffling gait that he had been taught for years. "And try to pick up the pace. The results from your last exam were disappointing."_

 _B blinked away the tears that were starting to form in his eyes. "Lawliet!" he ran after him, not even bothering to copy his posture. "Wait!"_

 _He grabbed L's wrist, turning him around. "B," L's voice contained a note of warning. "Let go."_

 _"_ _Lawliet, it's me!" B repeated his words, his eyes fixed on L's. "Your_ brother _."_

 _L's gaze turned towards the floor, and he yanked his arm out of B's grip. "Go back to your room."_

 _"_ _Lawliet!"_

 _"_ _I'm sorry, Beyond." L didn't say anything else, and B didn't try to stop him. He stood, watching the brother he had believed gone for so many years moving down the hall, each stride bringing them further from each other, each footstep resonating through B's mind. He stood and watched as the one person he had ever truly cared about walked away, leaving him behind once again._

 _The jacks fell from his hand, clattering on the ground, and the tears he was no longer able to contain spilled from his eyes, rolling down his face, splattering on his long-sleeved white cotton shirt._

His name. . . _he thought_. It changed.

xxx

Beyond jerked awake, glancing around the room. The television with the security footage of all the train stations in the nearby regions cast a soft blue glow over the room, flickering constantly between cameras. The Task Force members were all asleep, either sprawled out on the ground or lying down on the couches.

Beyond turned to glance at L's chair, expecting the spidery investigator to be seated there, ready to chide him for falling asleep, instead, he was surprised to see him hanging off the side of his seat, mouth slightly open, a strand of silky hair hanging in front of his face, fluttering every time he breathed. His teacup was hanging off one of his delicate fingers, and a small brown stain on the carpet showed that he had evidently been unable to fight off his fatigue any longer and succumbed to sleep.

Beyond hopped out of his chair, padding softly to where L sat, curled up like a cat. He crouched in front of him, brushing the hair away from his face. In sleep, L looked almost peaceful, his body more relaxed, his back no longer hunched and taut, the weight of the world lifted, for the moment, off his shoulders.

Beyond watched L frown in his sleep and mutter a quiet, indistinguishable something. He brushed his cheek gently, and L's face faded back into a peaceful mask. Beyond leaned forwards and gently pressed his lips to L's forehead.

"It still hurts, you know." he whispered, tucking a strand of wild hair behind L's ear. "It hurts every day. Sometimes, I stew for hours on end, thinking about how cold you were."

Beyond laid his head on L's armrest. "But I think I get it now. I'd never admit it to you when you're awake, but I get it." he traced L's cheekbone with his thumb. "You were so young, younger than me, and you already had thousands, no, millions of lives depending on you. You were scared. And I get it." Beyond sighed. "And even though you hurt me, and even though I made a promise that I'll have to keep," Beyond hesitated before speaking again. "I just wanted you to know that, well," he chuckled quietly. "I'll always love you."

He took the teacup off L's finger and placed it gently on the coffee table. He stood up and walked towards the door. Before leaving, he glanced inside again and smiled softly, before closing it gently.

* * *

O-O that's the second time we've heard about this 'promise' now, I wonder what it could be?


	19. Chapter 19: Plans

"The suspeeennsssssseee" - my friend, 2018

* * *

Light scribbled name after name in the notebook, eyes narrowed, teeth gritted. _A heart attack won't do, not with all the trouble he's caused_. There was a snap, and Light made a feral noise. The lead of his pencil had snapped. He hurled it across the dusty warehouse, his last thread of patience broken like the graphite that lay on his page.

He snarled to himself, looking down at the pages of messily scrawled names he had written in their time in Ota-Ku. He sighed, rubbing his face and closing the Death Note. He was too tired for this.

He closed the laptop that he had bought (with cash) and lay down next to the sleeping Misa. She shifted as he lay down next to her and rolled over, lacing her arms around him, effectively pinning him still. He resisted the urge to grab her and throw her out of her makeshift bed, but couldn't do anything under the watchful eye of Rem.

Ryuk chuckled. "Out of options, Light?"

"Not quite." Light replied, taking a deep breath to calm himself. "I now know both L and his doppelganger's names. I could kill them right now if I wanted too, but. . ." he shook his head. "They don't deserve something as simple as a heart attack." he glanced up at the Shinigami. "I've been thinking of the most painful deaths possible, but none of them sound good enough."

"Why don't you just bring them here?" Ryuk suggested, doing a backflip in midair. "Then you can take care of them yourself."

Light sat up, jolting Misa out of her sleep. She made a weak, whimpery noise. "Light? Whats –?"

"Shut up!" he snarled at her. "Ryuk," he said to the Shinigami, grinning wickedly.

"I might do just that."

xxx

"Ryuzaki! Beyond!" Matsuda burste into the room to see the two brothers sitting in front of the monitor, Ryuzaki frowning as if there was something annoying him, and Beyond's unblinking red eyes glowing red.

"We saw," Ryuzaki said, tapping his ears. "The bells are loud – this must be part of a plan to lure us there."

"It's working," Beyond muttered, glaring at the screen. Light and Misa were sitting on a bench directly in front of the security camera, chatting animatedly, Light turning an apple around in his hand, a sneer evident on his face.

"Damn him," Ryuzaki snarled.

"L do you know, gods of death love apples." Soichiro Yagami sighed. "Oh, Light."

"He's not Light, he's Kira." Beyond spoke callously, and Soichiro bowed his head in shame.

"Ryuzaki, you said this is a plan to lure us there?" Aizawa asked.

"Most likely," Ryuzaki chewed his thumbnail bitterly. "And he knows it's going to work – there's only a 3.4 percent chance that he's going to flee before we get there, he knows that'll never work."

"But if it's a trap – "

"We must go," Ryuzaki said firmly. "Whether it is a trap or not, we now have solid proof that Kira and the second Kira are hiding in Ota-Ku. Therefore, no matter the danger, we must go in attempts to capture him."

"He probably wants to lure us to some quiet place and kill us painfully." Beyond snarled. "Asshole."

"Hey, didn't you do that?" Matsuda asked. Beyond glowered, and Matsuda shriveled.

Ryuzaki lifted his cell phone to his ear. "Watari, prepare six tickets bound for Ota-Ku. We're catching Kira."

xxx

Light stood in the shadows by the train station. He saw four men get off the train, followed by two hunched figures and an old man. They took out their umbrellas and headed for the opposite direction of the station.

He smiled, melting back into the darkness from whence he came.


	20. Chapter 20: Preparations

Light scrolled furiously down the page on his laptop as Misa sat next to him, reading feverishly through piles of guidebooks he had purchased on his way back.

"Light, this is boring, can't we do something else?" the woman whined.

"Just do what I told you to!" Light snapped, and the woman, to his surprise, did not melt back as she had expected. Instead, she crossed her arms and pouted.

"Li-ight, this is so boring! We've been living together, even _sleeping_ together –" Light rolled his eyes "— for weeks now, and we haven't gotten _anywhere_."

Light sighed. He knew what she was referring to. "Misa, we _can't_. Not until L and Beyond Birthday are dead. It's not safe to do anything while their hearts are still beating."

Misa held up the Death Note. "Why don't we just write down their names in here? It's not like we need to conceal who we are anymore."

"Misa, these two have defied Kira in the worst possible ways possible. They need to be punished." Light hissed. "Now, keep searching!"

xxx

They had been searching for hours, and Light was beginning to doubt that they would ever find a good place, when Misa squealed in excitement. "Light! I found one!"

Light leaned over to glance at the book. "Fujiwara Warehouse. Abandoned since 1986. Quarantined from the public for fear of collapse. Misa, this is great!"

Misa grinned and puckered her lips. Biting back a sigh, Light leaned forwards and kissed her. He tried to pull away, but Misa held her down with her arms, thus making it the longest, sloppiest, and most traumatizing kiss that Light had ever been involved in.

When he finally got free, Light turned back to his laptop. "We need to find a good day for the execution. Huh. . . " he grinned. "Perfect."

xxx

L stood in front of the window, looking over the glittering lights of Ota.

"Ryuzaki, it's complete." L turned to Watari.

"Thank you, Watari." the old man bowed and turned around.

"What's ready, Ryuzaki?" Aizawa asked.

L and Beyond exchanged a look. L leaned over and tapped a couple of buttons on the laptop. A screen popped up and the Task Force gasped.

"Ryuzaki, what is this?" Soichiro Yagami demanded.

"Exactly what it looks like." Beyond replied grimly. "And this," he pressed a key and a different screen showed up. "Is another."

Matsuda scratched his head. "I can't be the only one who's confused, right?"

"No, just you." Beyond sneered.

"Listen carefully." L said seriously. "There is a 98.4 percent chance that Kira has already put the plan for my death into action, and a 23.4 percent chance that I am already being controlled, so I must tell you all this as soon as possible."

The Task Force exchanged looks of shock as L began explaining the plan. By the time they were finished, Matsuda was pale, Aizawa was practically sweating, and Mogi looked terrified. Soichiro Yagami was the only one not looking at L. He had his hands clasped and was looking down at them.

"Mr. Yagami," L said. "Your contentment is vital for this plan to be put into action. It cannot be carried out without you."

Soichiro Yagami looked up and everybody was shocked to see that his eyes were watering. "How can I?" he asked hoarsely. "How can I agree to this, knowing – "

"Chief," Aizawa said quietly. "Please consider – "

Yagami sniffed and wiped his eyes. "I'm sorry for that, Ryuzaki." he looked up, straight into L's eyes.

"I'll do it."

* * *

I wonder what could be going on? ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	21. Chapter 21: Thoughts

L reading a bit to much into things :| Also threw in a Castle in the Sky reference ;) What's your favorite Studio Ghibli anime?

* * *

Light looked out the window of the Fujiwara Warehouse, gazing through the rain at the blurry lights of the city.

 _Whether it be a mountain cave or a castle in the sky,_ he thought, _Kira's palace will always be where the Death Note is_.

He held the black notebook in his hand, stroking the textured cover lovingly. He opened it and flipped through the pages. Once plain and white, they now bore the names of hundreds, no _thousands_ of criminals, scum upon the earth. The names trailed like the tracks of ants across the pages, each word marking another step towards Kira's – towards _his_ – perfect world.

Light flipped to a new page, unmarked by any other names. He sneered. He would need a lot of space for this judgement.

He touched the pen to the page and, slowly, deliberately, began to scratch out the name he had been craving to write for almost a year.

xxx

L squatted in a seat, gazing out the window. Everybody else, even Beyond, had drifted off, and he was the only one awake.

He raised a hand to the glass. _Are you looking out of your window right now, Light_? he thought. _Are you gazing through the rain, envisioning the new world you wish to create?_

He rested his forehead on the windowpane, closing his eyes, relishing the cool sensation against his throbbing skull. The bells had been ringing nonstop all day, and he was beginning to feel like they were affecting his judgement. He had moved the entire Task Force to Ota on a whim, and he had been making mistakes all day. _Is this what it feels like for Beyond?_ he wondered. _To see death everywhere he turns? To see the world bathed in a sheen of blood_?

He glanced at a nearby table. Watari had placed his medication in a drawer, shoving it hastily in before setting up the control system. He pulled open the drawer, lifting the jar of sleeping pills that Watari occasionally gave him.

He tipped a few into his hand. _One is enough to put me out for the night_ , he thought. _Two could send me to La-La-Land for a week. Three. . ._ he hesitated, and spilled enough into his palm to knock out a full-grown buffalo.

"You won't do it." L turned around. Beyond was squatting on the armrest of his seat.

"Your numbers haven't reached their end." Beyond continued, leaping off and landing lightly on his feet. "They're not terribly low, but enough to last to the end of this case."

L placed the pills back in their bottle. "How long?"

Beyond's eyes were cold. "I'm afraid I don't read you."

"How long do I have left?" L asked.

Beyond turned away. "I can't tell you."

"Why not?" L asked. "You told A."

Beyond glared at him, eyes flashing red. "Don't you dare say her name."

"I didn't," L replied smoothly. "I said her title."

Beyond began walking away. "Your excuses are futile."

"It wasn't my fault." L called after him.

"Oh, really?" Beyond turned back, glowering with the fury of a thousand berserkers. "So, A isn't your fault, but everybody else is?" he stepped closer. "What about Raye Penber? What about the thousands of criminals who couldn't be saved in time? What about Naomi Misora? What about Ukita? What about the hundreds who fell because you made the wrong decision?" he leaned closer. "What about _James_?"

L stepped back. "That's different."

"Really?" Beyond snorted. "Is it? Is it really?"

"Yes," L moved away from Beyond. "James was. . . well, James. A died because she couldn't handle it. She was weak – "

Beyond's arm came out of nowhere, pinning L to the wall, crushing his windpipe. L stared unblinkingly into Beyond's crimson eyes.

"Don't you _dare_ ," he snarled quietly. "Don't you _dare_ talk about Teresa like that!"

L looked coolly into his counterpart's eyes. "You choose to provoke me in the places where I am weakest. Why should I not do the same?"

Beyond's eyes were empty of emotion. Slowly, he lowered his arm, letting air once again enter L's lungs. "I can't tell you when." he said. "Because the numbers. . . they're unreadable."

"Unreadable."

"Your life is different," Beyond said. "Fleeting. Meaningless, yet the most meaningful at the same time. An existence comprised of oxymorons. It's changing constantly, melting and reshaping. Whenever it solidifies, it's always the same, but never stays long enough to read. Illegible."

There was silence, broken by L. "I never knew you were so smooth with synonyms, Beyond."

Beyond tried for his usual sneer, but it came out weak and sad. "We learn something new every day, don't we?"

* * *

:OOOOO Who's James?


	22. Chapter 22: Promises

Soooo I messed up and posted the wrong chapter. Whoops.

* * *

"Ryuzaki!"

Matsuda burst into the room, sweating profusely, clutching his side. "Ryuzaki!" he repeated. "Beyond, Chief!" he was clutching a slip of paper.

"A businessman told the police that he saw a man looking like Light go into the Fujiwara Warehouse at five, and hasn't come out since!" he gasped. "He also said that a young woman with blond hair went into a nearby building about an hour before! And – "

"Thank you, Matsuda." L grabbed the paper, holding it up in front of his face, pinching it by thumb and forefinger. "Beyond, can you – "

"Yeah, that's him," Beyond mused, glancing at the security footage of the Akihiko Insurance Building. "And Amane, too. They're the only ones without lifespans."

"Good." Ryuzaki stood up. "Gentlemen, please do as we have discussed."

"Wait, you're going alone?" Matsuda asked.

"Ryuzaki, it's dangerous." Aizawa said.

"Don't worry," Ryuzaki raised his shirt. A gun was attached to a holster, which was wrapped tight around his chest. The Task Force officers winced slightly at the sight of the ugly red scar from Light's knife stretching across his chest, along with smaller, faded scars that they hadn't noticed before. Matsuda privately wondered where he'd gotten them. "There's a reason I wear baggy clothes, you know."

"Ryuzaki, guns are illegal in Japan." Yagami looked rather peeved.

"I think I can safely say that we're past the point of laws." Beyond interrupted.

"Thank you, Beyond." Ryuzaki made for the door. "And another thing," he stopped. "When all of this is over. . . I will gladly welcome you back to Wammy's House. Is that alright, Watari?" the Task Force members blinked. They had never heard Ryuzaki ever _ask_ Watari anything. It was always an order, or nothing.

Watari smiled sadly, and nodded. "Yes. We will welcome you back with open arms. . . B."

Beyond grinned. "Sounds good. And L," he turned serious. "Make sure that, whatever you do, always make the choice that let's you get out of there alive, all right?"

L turned the door handle and smiled faintly. "I won't repeat past mistakes."

"It's been a while since you've done field work." Beyond stood up, walking to face him. "Stay safe, Ely."

"I will." the door slammed shut with a bang.

xxx

 _L ducked, throwing his arm up to protect himself from the sprays of dust and shrapnel. He coughed as the dust settled, wiping the blood from his face._

 _The transmitter in his ear crackled. "L! Are you alright!"_

 _He raised a shaky hand. "Fine, Watari. Stunned."_

 _"_ _The perpetrators?"_

 _"_ _Dead," L burst into a bout coughing again. "I had to detonate a hand grenade to destroy the drugs, and the hostage is injured, but alive."_

 _"_ _I will send a transport at once." the line fizzled out. The moment he was sure Watari was off the line, L fell to his knees, hacking and grabbing at his gut, where a sharp piece of debris had embedded itself. His leg was throbbing, too._

 _"_ _Damn," he gasped, rolling over onto his back, wincing as his skin grazed over a jagged piece of metal. "Ouch."_

 _"_ _L!" a boy ran over. "Are you okay?"_

 _L looked up into the face of the other boy. "Fine, James." he gasped._

 _"_ _You're bleeding!" James panicked. "Here, I'll help!"_

 _"_ _I'm fine." L repeated, trying to stand up, but collapsed almost at once. "Ugh."_

 _"_ _I'll help you," James slid his arm under L's flinging his arm over his shoulder. "Come on!"_

 _"_ _Wait," L coughed again, and blood speckled his dusty white T-shirt. "It's not safe, there could be traps, or bombs, or mines, or – "_

 _"_ _Don't talk," James walked towards and gap in the crumbled wall. "I think I can get through here, just sit."_

 _"_ _James, there is a 78.6 percent chance that that wall will fall and crush you. I'll do it."_

 _"_ _No, L!" James turned around, and the wall creaked. L inhaled sharply, but it didn't fall. "You're hurt!"_

 _"_ _I'm the investigator," L tried to stand up again, but failed. There was a 60.4 percent chance his leg was broken._

 _"_ _So, you have to stay alive and give a report, right?" James moved aside a sheet of metal. "Euh!" he had come upon the corpse of one of the drug dealers who had kidnapped him._

 _"_ _There was a 60-70 percent chance that I would die before I even began the case, there's no shame in losing my life for my job." L gasped, holding in his guts. "Aah," he gritted his teeth. "Shoot."_

 _"_ _But you're so young!" James glanced at L. "How can you be, well,_ L _, when you're the same age as me?"_

 _L smiled softly. "It's just the way it is."_

 _And then the roof crumpled, and L saw nothing but darkness for a long, long time._

xxx

 _L woke up to the rocking of an emergency helicopter. He blinked a couple of times, and the whirring of the choppers filled his ears, followed shortly by the bells. They were loud, loud enough for L to know that something was horribly wrong._

 _He lifted his head slightly, and discovered that he had been strapped to the cot. A warm hand rested on his forehead, and L turned his head to see Watari's worried, but relieved, face._

 _"_ _Oh, thank goodness." he sighed. "You're okay."_

 _"_ _Where's the hostage?" L asked, throat dry and parched. He coughed, and pain exploded in his gut. "Ow!"_

 _Watari brushed a loose strand of hair behind L's ear. "It wasn't your fault, L."_

 _L's head fell back. "If he's dead, just say it. You know I'm accustomed to it."_

 _Watari sighed. "I've convinced the hounds from the higher-ups to hold off until you've recovered. But they're very disappointed, L. This is the first time you've lost a hostage."_

 _"_ _So they're going to ignore the fact that I got rid of the dealers?"_

 _"_ _You know that's not how it works, L."_

 _L sighed, looking out the helicopter window as they started descending, heading for the Wammy's House helicopter pad. "I know,"_

 _"_ _I know."_

xxx

As L looked up at the Fujiwara Warehouse, a chill went down his spine. _It's just like the drug dealers' warehouse from all those years ago_.

He stepped forwards and pushed open the door, which opened with a groaning creak. He stepped inside and was assaulted by a thick, musty smell. _At least it doesn't stink of cocaine_.

He walked further in, and turned around quickly as the door slammed shut, at speeds he hadn't expected a piece of metal that big, old, and heavy to be able to move.

A familiar voice spoke from the top of the stairs to the catwalk. "L. Lawliet. Welcome."


	23. Chapter 23: Guns

The next few episodes are based on Death Note: The Musical. If you know what happens at the end of the musical, then you know the gist of what's about to happen. If you don't then, well. . . :(

* * *

Light listened to the huge rusted door creak open, and grinned to himself, eyes flashing red.

"He's here." Ryuk cackled into his ear. "Well?"

"Well?" Light watched the silhouetted of the skinny detective step into the gloom. "Now, Ryuk, I'll show you something beyond interesting."

He smiled evilly, and lifted his burner phone to his ear. "Misa, close the door."

"Yes, Light!" she replied, giggling. "So, once he's dead, we can, you know. . ." she giggled again.

"Just close the door." he sighed.

"Oh, pooh, you're no fun." the door slammed shut, and Light watched the detective turn around in shock, staring at the door. The heavy bar he had fashioned slid across the door, effectively locking everybody inside.

Light sneered and began walking down the stairs from the catwalk where he had stood. "L. Lawliet," he called down, and L turned around, eyes wide at the sound of his true name. "Welcome." the English name felt strange upon his tongue.

L narrowed his eyes at Light. "Light Yagami." his voice was cold. "Kira."

"Correct," Light stepped down the stairs, Death Note in hand. "I am Kira."

L didn't flinch back, express triumph, or look shocked as Light had expected. He remained unchanged, gaze fixed on Light as he descended the stairs. "I know. I knew all along."

"I have no doubt in that." Light got to the bottom of the stairs, and looked L in the eyes. "I must say, L, for an Englishman, you sure are smart. There aren't many people who can say that they've effectively taken down the world's greatest drug cartel, or that they single-handedly stopped World War Three."

"I see you've done your research," L replied coolly as Light approached him.

"You're taking this awfully well." Light remarked, stopping as he now stood barely three feet away from L. "I could kill you right now."

"But you won't." L replied.

"How can you be sure?" Light sneered. "I'm sure you know what this is, by now." he lifted the notebook. "Don't you?"

L's face remained passive. Light laughed. "You _don't_? World's greatest detective my ass!"

L grit his teeth, and Light chuckled. "You're too easy, L." he grinned cruelly. "But, since I'm in a good mood today, I'll tell you." he flipped to the first page of the Death Note, the black page that he had initially believed to be the start of a prank.

"Death Note: How to Use It." he saw L's eyes widen, and his grin grew with it. "The human whose name is written in this note shall die. This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind as their name is being written. If the cause of death is written within the next forty seconds after writing the name, then it will happen. If the cause of death is not specified, then the victim will simply die of a heart attack. After writing the cause of death, details of the death should be written in the next six minutes and forty seconds." he closed the book. "Well, L? What do you think?"

L's fists were clenched. "So, that's how you've killed everybody?"

"What's this? The great L actually figured something out?" Light grinned condescendingly. "What a surprise."

"I've figured out enough." suddenly, L was holding a gun, pointed directly at Light's face.

"Wow," Light smiled unconcernedly as Ryuk laughed in his ear. "You know those are illegal, right?"

"I have the world at my feet, Light." L spoke quietly. "There is _nothing_ I can't do."

"You won't shoot." Light's words carried confidence beyond reason, and his grin only widened as L clicked the safety trigger.

"Try me." he snarled.

Light grinned wider. "Don't mind if I do. By the way, did you know Naomi Misora?" he sneered as he saw L's knuckles turn white. "Yeah, I ran into her! She'd found out that Kira could kill using means other than heart attacks!" he threw back his head and laughed. "She was too smart to live." he tapped the notebook lovingly. "I had her kill herself in a way that would ensure that her body wouldn't be discovered. I wish I could have seen it, she was surely smart enough to figure out an interesting way to do it." he tapped his chin in a mock thoughtful way. "Although, there's always the chance that she did it with a gun. . ." he pointed at L. "Just like that one!"

There was a bang, and after that, silence.

* * *

I'm saying that L's about 14-15 in the memory scene :'( My poor baby


	24. Chapter 24: Sins

I assume you now know what I mean by 'you'll see' :'((((((((((

* * *

"Although there's always a chance that she did it with a gun. . ." L grit his teeth, glaring at Light Yagami – glaring at _Kira_. "Just like that one!" a gleeful grin spread over Light's features, and an unfamiliar rage flooded him.

He aimed at Light's leg and pulled the trigger. There was a bang, and Light yelled in pain, falling backwards, clutching at his bloody leg. "Shut up!" L yelled, surprised to feel tears welling up in his eyes. "Shut _up_!"

Light made a small noise, which slowly began to grow louder and louder. L was shocked to hear that he was laughing. "What?" he flicked the safety switch again, aiming it at Light.

"Oh, Lawliet," L flinched at the sound of his name. "You put too much trust in the mundane. The Death Note," he raised the notebook, which now had blood splattered across it's leatherlike cover. "Can control its victims, you see? It can make victims do things that they'd never do normally, and even the victims themselves wouldn't know!" he grinned up at L, face covered in a manic expression that L had seen only once before.

"No," L's gun began shaking in his grip. "You didn't – "

Light raised a hand and flipped through the Death Note, until he was at the last page with words on it. "L. Lawliet. Suicide." L's eyes widened.

 _Empty eyes gazing unseeingly up at the ceiling, the tool of her destruction clutched in her fist. . ._

"Goes to the Fujiwara Warehouse with the intent of arresting Kira." Light stood up, balancing on his uninjured leg. "Gets provoked by the man waiting there, and shoots him in the leg." Light gestured to his bloody leg.

 _Anger rushing through his veins, anger at himself, at her, at the world. . ._

"No," L's voice was barely a whisper, and he could feel himself shaking like a leaf. "No."

"Turns the gun away from the man and towards himself." L's heart began pounding faster as he let go of his double-handed grip on the gun, and held it in his right hand. Slowly, his hand moved towards his head.

 _A bang that rattled his skull and made his ears ring louder than any bell he had ever heard. . ._

L glowered at Light. "You're a monster."

"And shoots himself." Light grinned, snapping the Note shut. He hobbled forwards, until he was standing directly in front of L.

"It'll be quick," he purred, taking a hold of L's wrist. "You'll only feel it for a moment."

 _Pain, impossible pain, so fast and yet so horrible, making stars dance in front of his eyes. . ._

"You're just a crazy serial killer." L snarled.

"You once said that you wanted to atone for your sins." Light continued, holding L's hand to his head. He could feel the gun graze his temple. "Your death will make up for all the blood on your hands, won't it?"

 _Blood, red as the fires of hell, on the ground, on the walls, on his hands_. . .

L could barely see through the tears in his eyes. "You don't deserve to call yourself a human."

Light put his mouth beside L's ear. "That's because I am," he grinned and an insane light took hold over his features.

"The god of the new world."

There was another bang, and this time, the silence stayed.

* * *

Light actually did make L shoot himself in the musical, and I much preffered that to falling over and suffering cardiac arrest :'C I'm sowee!


	25. Chapter 25: Sinners

Expanded version of L's life 'flashing before his eyes' :;(

* * *

 _L stood in A's room, looking down at the dead girl. Her eyes were still half-open, glazed over and milky. The knife she had used to cut her wrists open was still clenched in her fist._

 _He knelt and gently tugged at the handle of the blade. When it didn't give, he yanked harder, and it slipped out of her hand, cutting a slit in the dead skin as it went._

 _He held it up, gazing at a scratched message on the handle:_

Happy Birthday, A! To thank you for that time you snuck that switchblade to me from America J -BB

 _He dropped the blade, and it splashed in the puddle of blood, red droplets spraying into the air._

xxx

 _L pulled himself over the fence, panting quietly. He pressed the button on his transceiver. "Maureen? Where are you?"_

 _The signal crackled. "I'm over the ridge."_

 _L groaned. "Another one?"_

 _Maureen giggled from the other end. "Sorry. But this is a lead that you'll love. I think it'll work great!"_

 _L sighed. "Be there in three. L out." he clicked the button and headed for the ridge. He took a running start and leapt, grabbing onto a tree root sticking out of the dry, crumbling earth. His feet scrambled for a hold. When he finally got over the ridge, he was sweaty and his arms were shaking._

 _He stood up, legs shaking, and brushed his dirty hands on his pants. "Maureen?" he looked up and was met with a gun pointed in his face._

 _She laughed coldly. "So, even the famous L can make a mistake."_

 _Maureen," L backed away slowly, and he felt dirt crumble beneath his heel. He turned his head and saw that Maureen had backed him to the edge of the cliff._

 _Maureen," he repeated. "What do you think you're doing?"_

 _Maureen nudged the gun between his eyes. "L, I'll admit you're smart. Smarter than the mass majority of the world. But you're too naïve." she nudged him again, and his foot began to slip._

 _Maureen, there is a 30.9 percent chance that – "_

 _Yada, yada, yada,_ I don't care _, L." she moved the gun from between his eyes to his temple. "You shouldn't be so quick to trust people, L. Especially people you haven't done background checks on."_

 _She grinned at him again before pushing him in the chest, sending him stumbling off the side of the cliff._

 _The earth fell apart beneath his feet, and he fell, hitting, scraping and bouncing against the side of the mountain face. He managed to snag a hanging root, and he stayed there, holding onto the feeble root for dear life. As he hung there, he felt tears began to prick at his eyes._ What did I do to deserve this _? he thought._ Why do I have to do this? Why do I have to risk my life for people who I don't even know? Why won't anybody help me? Somebody, just tell me, please.

What did I do wrong?

xxx

 _L squatted, hunched behind a stack of crates, peering out through a gap between two boards. The two burly men sat across the table from the smaller, ferrety-looking one. L observed that he looked a lot like a character in a cartoon that he had seen recently._

 _The ferrety man placed a sheaf of papers on the table between them, leaning forwards and conversing quietly with the two men. L narrowed his eyes, and managed to lip-read what he was saying._

 _The papers for the nuclear launch, signed by the president himself."_

 _One of the two men took the papers, flipping through them. "And the old geezer really doesn't know they're for a nuke?"_

 _I just had to scan the signature and copy it onto this." the ferrety man boasted quietly. "There are lots of things we can do with modern technology that people couldn't even_ dream _of a decade ago_.

 _L clenched his fists. He may have only been eight years old, but he had had the notions of justice pounded into his brain by his year and a half of training, and he knew that these three men were as far from justice as you could get._

 _L lifted his finger and pressed a button attached to the strap on his wrist. There was a quiet beep, and the warehouse exploded in commotion._

 _Armed men rushed out from all the nooks and crannies, safely covered in the S.W.A.T. uniforms that the American strike teams used. They surrounded the three men, aiming their rifles directly at them. The ferrety man squeaked in terror, and scrambled to hide behind the bigger men._

 _L slipped out from his hiding spot and walked towards the three perpetrators. The strike team parted respectfully before him, and he stood in front of the three criminals, back hunched slightly, hands in his pockets, gazing up at them with his wide black eyes._

 _The three men looked rather disgruntled at having a child scrutinizing them like cuts of meat. "What the hell is a kid doing here?" one of the bigger men asked the other._

 _I am L," L's voice was smooth and, though significantly higher than any of the other detectives that the three men had ever met, carried an air of authority that made them shiver._

 _L?" the ferrety man gasped. "I've heard of him! Are you telling me that this. . ._ kid _is L?"_

 _We stand witness to the three of you trading papers authorizing a nuclear launch." L continued as if there had been no interruption. "You are found guilty on multiple charges, including forgery, fraud, and treason."_

 _Treason?" the other big man snorted. "This is America, kid. Go back to your Queen."_

 _You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can, and will, be used against you in court." L raised his voice slightly to mask the blabbering of the men. "Gentlemen, if you will."_

 _Three strike members walked forwards, holding handcuffs. The ferrety man offered his hands, trembling from head to toe, and one of the big men reluctantly held out his wrists. The third big man stood stock-still, glowering at L._

 _Sir, this will be a lot easier if you would cooperate." L said._

 _The man glared at him and, suddenly, he whipped out a gun from a back pocket and aimed it at him. L barely had time to react before there was a loud bang. He stiffened, expecting death to grab him in its jowls, but he felt nothing. The man, however, had a red stain spreading on his shirt. He had been shot by a S.W.A.T. officer._

 _The man fell forwards, landing on his face. L leaned forwards, ears ringing, trembling slightly, though he did not show it. The man was still, and there was a puddle of red beginning to spread beneath him._

 _He was dead._

xxx

 _L screamed, loud and drawn-out, jolting from the force of the shock. The man released the button on the Taser, laughing as he watched L trembling, occasionally jerking from the electric shock._

 _Stupid kid." he pressed the button again, and the shock spread through L's body, causing him to convulse and screech. "Think you can just waltz in here and tell us what to do?"_

 _L raised himself shakily by his arms. "Justice," he coughed, still jerking from the shock. "Will prevail."_

 _The man kicked him in the side, and L fell to the ground again._

 _Justice?" the man laughed. "You don't even look thirteen yet. Who are you to talk about justice?"_

 _I.. ." L raised his head shakily. "I'm L."_

 _L?" the man's face was covered in fear for a moment, before reverting back to a mask of confidence. "As if. You're telling me that L's a kid who can't even take a shock from a Taser?" he doubled over, laughing. "I don't know what I was so scared of!"_

 _L's vision faded, and he closed his eyes._ I failed _. A tear trickled out from beneath his closed eyelid._

What am I worth if I fail

xxx

 _The blood was beginning to slide off the wall, but there were still stains._ How hard did she cut herself? _L wondered._ Why did she cause so much pain to herself, and use so much force as to leave stains such as those

 _He stood up, and realize that A's blood had gotten onto the knees of his jeans. "Watari," he called behind him._

 _Yes, L?"_

 _Keep all the children away from this room – no, keep them away from this hallway, this floor if possible. Bring them to the living room, show them a true crime film or something."_

 _Yes, sir." Watari bowed and walked out._

 _What's going on, Mr. Watari?" L heard the curious boy, Mello, ask. "Why is L visiting A? And why does her room smell so bad?"_

 _Is she sick?" another child asked._

 _Watari closed the door, and, through the wood, L could hear Watari reassuring them, telling them that there was something that L needed to take care of. L waited until he was 100 percent certain that all the children had left the vicinity before letting the gagging, retching sound he had been holding back leave his throat._

 _Oh, god." he fell to his knees in front of A's body. "Oh, god, A."_

 _He covered his face with his hands, only to find that they were unnaturally warm, and somewhat sticky. He removed them, and saw that they were covered in A's blood._

 _He groaned. "Teresa. . . why did you do this to yourself?"_

 _It's all your fault."_

 _L whirled around. Standing in the doorway was a perfect replica of himself, identical in every way except one. His eyes, red instead of black, were full of a fierce, primitive fury._

 _B," L stood up hastily. "You should be in the living room."_

 _B stepped forwards, glaring at L. "It's all your fault." he repeated. "You were pressuring her, stressing her out!"_

 _Part of my job is being able to handle stress." L tried to keep his voice still and emotionless. "If she couldn't handle it, then that's her own fault – "_

 _It's_ your _fault!" B yelled. "You_ made _her do this! You_ made _her kill herself!"_

 _B – "_

 _I'll avenge her." B stepped forwards, eyes practically glowing. No, not practically. They_ were _glowing. "I can see your death." B hissed. "It's faint, but I can see it."_

 _Beyond – "_

 _You'll pay for her life, and for every life that's been taken for your sake!" Beyond was practically shouting. "I'll kill you, L._

 _And I swear, by Heaven and Earth, that I'll make you feel the pain that everybody has had to endure._

 _Because of_ you.

* * *

Oh. So that's what he promised :


	26. Chapter 26: Convictions

I feel like I've been a bit mean in the past few episodes :'( Sorry, but I'm not gonna stop XD

* * *

Light watched as L's finger pressed down on the trigger. Pain flashed briefly in his dark eyes, and he watched as the light slowly faded out.

The gun fell from L's hand, and he fell backwards. It seemed to happen in slow motion. Light watched the slender body curved in a graceful arch and fall, hitting the floor with a thud. L's lifeless arm lay limp, stretched to the side, long, slender fingers, curled slightly.

L's eyes were closed, and there was a tear track on his cheek. Blood from his wound matted his hair, trickling down the side of his head, staining his clothes. He looked so small and frail, weaker than he had when he had been alive.

Light looked at the body. He had only been present at one of his killings before. And he had never gotten so close to the body.

 _Body_. Light laughed. Quietly at first, then louder. He threw his head back, screaming with maniacal laughter. _I've won_! he thought ecstatically. _L's dead! L is_ dead _!_ he laughed even louder, screeches of hysteria echoing through the empty warehouse.

"Light!" Misa leapt out from behind a rusted barrel, running towards him, Rem in tow. She grabbed him around the waist, and he was to ecstatic to even be annoyed.

"It worked, right, Light?" she nuzzled him with her cheek. "Misa helped, right?"

"Yeah," he grinned down at L. "I did it."

"I killed L!" Light's maniacal laughter filled the room, tinged with insanity. He knelt by L' head and grabbed the front of his shirt, lifting him so that Light was level with his face. "How's that, mister 'World's Greatest Detective'?"

He dropped L and stood again, bursting into laughter again. Behind him, Rem made a disgusted noise before flying back up to the catwalk. Ryuk chuckled. "So, what are you going to do now, Light?"

"Now?" Light turned away from L's corpse. "Now, Ryuk,"

"Now Kira's true reign begins."

xxx

"Now Kira's true reign begins."

Soichiro gripped his gun, arms shaking. He made a signal towards the other members of the Task Force, all of whom were hiding in various nooks and crannies. They rushed out, flicking back the safety triggers on their guns, aiming them all at Light and Misa.

Misa screamed, grabbing onto Light's arm, causing him to lose his grip of the notebook. It fell to the ground, and Aizawa scooped it up in his gloved hand, running back to the group.

"Dad!" Light gasped, looking around at the Task Force. "Matsuda, Aizawa, Mogi – what's going on?"

"It's time to drop the charade, Light." Soichiro glared at his son, trying to surpress the tears in his eyes. "We saw everything, Light. You're Kira."

"What?" Soichiro could practically see Light's mind working. "Dad, you must have misunderstood, I'm not – "

"You killed Ryuzaki!" Matsuda interrupted, arms shaking, not even trying to hide his tears. "You made him kill himself, and then you _laughed_!"

"I – " Light looked around frantically. Misa squealed and gripped his arm even tighter. "It's. . ." Light glanced at the exits, as if calculating how far he would have to run.

"Don't even think about it." Mogi aimed his gun at Light's head. "We will shoot you with no qualms, now that all the questions have been answered." At this, Misa wailed an grabbed Light around the waist.

"No!" she squeezed Light so tight that his face began to turn a mild shade of purple. "Don't shoot Light!"

"Get off!" Light snarled, shoving her off.

"Light, it's over." Soichiro sighed. "Turn yourself if. _Please_ , Light."

Light stared at Soichiro, then back at L's body. "It. . . it's a trap!" he screamed. "Ryuga framed me! He planned this!"

"Light!" Aizawa roared. "How dare you!"

"L is Kira!" Light screamed, looking positively frantic now. "He framed me to make it look like I was Kira! I don't know anything about the Death Note!"

"Your lies are futile, Yagami." an eerily voice called out. Light looked frantically up, and went pale.

The other Task Force members didn't need to look. They already knew what was going on.

Beyond Birthday was squatted in the rafters, looking almost batlike. He was still eerily familiar to his brother and, in the moment of panic, Light thought that L had come back to life.

Beyond slipped off the heavy beam, slipping down a hanging chain and landing lightly in front of Light. He raised his hand, and Aizawa tossed him the notebook, which he caught.

"You are Kira." Beyond traced his lips with his finger, red eyes boring into Light's. Light was hit with a nauseating sense of déjà vu.

"You. . ." Light stepped back, bumping into Misa. "You. . ." he glanced at the Task Force, surrounding him with guns pointed at him. "You're a criminal!" he suddenly screamed. Everybody jolted, but Beyond stood still in front of him.

Beyond looked coldly at Light. "Lawliet heard the bells all his life." he spoke quietly, but Light flinched as if he was shouting. "He knew when death was coming." he stepped closer to Light, back hunched, hands in his pockets. He tilted his head. "Do you honestly believe that he _didn't_ know what you were going to do?"

"He died because I wrote his name down!" Light screeched, incensed.

"And that, Yagami," Beyond grinned, "Is all the proof I need. Gentlemen."

Mogi and Aizawa stepped forwards, grabbing Light and Misa's wrists. Misa burst into tears, but Light just kept shouting.

"It's a fake!" he yelled, straining to get away from the police officers. "The notebook's a fake!"

"Au contraire, Kira." Beyond said, and the cuffs clicked around Light's wrists. "I touched this notebook, therefore I am able to see your Shinigami." he looked up. "Hello, Ryuk."

Light stopped. _He saw Ryuk. . . he saw his name._ He felt panic fluttering in his chest. _He really_ does _have the eyes_.

Ryuk cackled behind him. "Hey, kid."

Beyond tilted his head to the side. "I have many questions for you. . . but those can wait."

"Sure thing."

Light sputtered wordlessly, glaring at Beyond. Beyond tucked the notebook under his shirt, and grinned at Light. "Face the facts, Light. Kira is nothing without his tool, which I have." he tapped the notebook under his shirt.

"No! I – "

"You are under arrest." Beyond cut him off. "Light Yagami, you are under arrest for the murders of thousands of criminals around the globe. You do not have the right to remain silent, and you do not have the right to court or an attorney. You will be executed for your crimes."

Light glared at Beyond, who leaned in with a grin. "From one criminal to another, I hope your victims give you the beating of your life once you're in Hell."

* * *

Beyond's whole 'arrest speech' was stolen from Another Note :) It's what Naomi said when she arrested him (I think :| I haven't actually read the entirety of Another Note)


	27. Chapter 27: Goodbyes

Aaawww brotherly love. Between a dead guy and a criminal.

* * *

Beyond knelt in front of the gravestone, fiddling with a few blades of grass. He stared at the gravestone tracing the name engraved.

 _L. Lawliet_.

Beyond smiled sadly. "It wasn't your time," he said. "You wouldn't have lived for very long, even if you had caught him without dying. You had less than a year left. And then I would have killed you."

He sighed, letting his hand drop, before lying down next to the grave, gazing up at the grey skies. "I know I would have; I _definitely_ would have. But now. . ." he turned and glanced at the gravestone. "I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much as I thought I would have."

He sighed, looking back up at the sky. "But I'm glad that the idiots from the Task Force let us bring you back home. You always did love England more than any other country – I can't imagine why, it's cold, dreary, and it rains all the time." he smiled as a cloud drifted by. "But every so often, a sunny day comes and brightens up everybody's mood. It matches you.

"I guess what I came to tell you today is that Near's doing a good job as your successor – Mello tried to leave, he was pretty mad about not getting to be the next L, you know how he is. But we managed to convince him to stay. He's working with Matt now, those two are like peas in a pod. I'm just glad they didn't decide to go to America and join the Mafia." Beyond chuckled.

"Also," Beyond sighed. "Yagami and Amane were executed yesterday. You probably already know that. . . or maybe you don't, since the afterlife doesn't technically exist. But maybe it does. Who knows.

"Finally," Beyond plucked a blade of grass and twisted it in front of his face. "I never did find out how you got those bells. I didn't figure out how I got these eyes, either. That Shinigami was pretty useless in giving information."

xxx

 _Beyond sat in front of the Shinigami, legs crossed. The death god tilted his head, as if curious. It was hard to tell with that clown's smile plastered on his face all the time._

 _"_ _So, is that all?" the Shinigami asked. "No more questions."_

 _"_ _I have two more." Beyond replied._

 _"_ _Shoot," the Shinigami cackled. "Can't promise I'll answer, though."_

 _Beyond didn't laugh. "Ryuk, you said that humans who own the Death Note can trade for Shinigami eyes, right?"_

 _"_ _Correct."_

 _"_ _Then, how was I born with them?" Beyond asked._

 _The Shinigami scratched his head. "Well, that I don't know." he shrugged. "Maybe a Shinigami dropped his eyes to the human world instead of his Note? Maybe a Shinigami died and its dust fell on you? Who knows?"_

 _Beyond nodded, unsatisfied. "Final question." he shifted slightly. "Lawliet could hear bells. He said they signaled life and death, beginnings and ends, the works. How could he have gotten those?"_

 _Ryuk shrugged. "That, I don't know. Far as I know, no Shinigami's ever been able to_ hear _death – it's just not useful to us._

 _"_ _But who knows? The world is a big place – there are plenty of realms. Maybe he got that power from one of those. Or maybe he's just weird; who knows?"_

xxx

"So, that's that." Beyond laughed. "I guess you're just weird."

He stood up, stretching. "Oh, and before I forget," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a beautiful, albeit slightly crumpled, white rose. He knelt and placed it on the grave. "White roses represent purity and mysticism. I won't say you were the purest person in the world, but," he smiled softly. "You were definitely mystical."

With that, he turned, heading back for the shadows of Wammy House. "Goodbye, brother."

* * *

Whoooottt last chapter! Epilogue will be up tomorrow!


	28. Epilogue

Aah, epilogue! I'm so excited! Thank you for sticking with me for so long! *cries*

* * *

The man sat in the old, worn, rocking chair on the porch, rocking ever so slightly. His hair was now gray, almost white, no longer the chocolatey black it had once been, but it was still as wild and unruly as it had been all those years ago. His skin was darker, now wrinkled and lined, but he was still as strong and fit as he had been when he first left the grounds. The fiendish smile that had once struck fear into so many hearts still graced his face, but it was softer now, wiser. He still wore the same clothes, a white long-sleeved cotton shirt, and baggy old jeans. His aching bones no longer allowed him to crouch in his seats and, truth be told, he no longer had any need of extra deductive reasoning. He now stretched his legs out, letting his bare toes rub against the smooth, worn wood of his seat, drinking in the sun that he still craved, making up for his years of absence.

Beyond reclined in his rocking chair, gazing out over the grounds of Wammy's House. The children were laughing and playing, some with balls or dolls, others simply sitting around and chatting. A few children were lying on the ground, reading books or magazines, and a few were wrestling playfully, swinging light punches and grinning.

Beyond sighed. He was old. Too old – he was the last of his generation. Even Near was gone now. The new L had taken up the mantle a few days ago. He chuckled at himself. "Third generation already, eh? Look at me, reminiscing about days long past." He closed his eyes, rocking back and forth, basking in the sun.

 _Look at you, napping in the sun like a cat. Things sure have changed, haven't they?_

Beyond opened his eyes, turning his head slightly. A silhouette shimmered in the sunlight. "A?"

 _Of course, not – we both know the afterlife doesn't exist, B. But you remember me every day, and you remember me so well; we could easily have a conversation like this._

Beyond smiled. "Well, then," he looked over the fields. "Let's talk."

 _Gladly_.

Beyond sighed. "I'm old, A. Older than even Watari when he died."

 _I know. Your time's coming up_.

"I have less than an hour left." Beyond looked at the children frolicking around in the grass. "I'm worried, A. I'm the last one left, the last one who knew L, who knew how he worked. I'm worried about what will happen once I die. Will Wammy's House run itself into the ground?" he sighed again, scarlet eyes flashing over all of their names and lifespans.

 _Who knows? You can't change what's going to happen – all we can do is watch as the future unfolds_.

Beyond smiled at A's image. "Death has relaxed you, I see."

 _Or maybe your mind has molded your memories, changing me into the me you now see_.

"True," Beyond mused, tilting his face to catch the warm rays of the sun. There was silence before he spoke again. "I never thought that I would become the next Watari."

 _You should have expected that there would be many who would surpass you after your absence_.

"I know," Beyond watched a few boys tackle one of their friends. "I also knew it was pointless trying to surpass _them_. I only ever wanted to beat L. But Lawliet was smart." he smiled. "Very smart."

 _Do you feel like you surpassed him, though_?

"To be honest, I don't know what I think." Beyond stretched his arms. "In the end, I was the one who caught Light, but I never would have been able to if not for Lawliet."

xxx

 _L and Beyond squatted in front of the television screen. They watched as the young man lifted a black, seemingly leather-bound notebook._

 _Beyond squinted. "Death Note?"_

 _L traced his lip with his thumb. "A notebook of death? The murder weapon, perhaps?"_

 _Light opened up the notebook, flipping through pages upon pages of notes. No, not notes – names. Hundred upon thousands of names, scrawled in miniscule print, crowding the pages._

 _The two men watched as Light lifted a pen and, slowly, deliberately, writing as if he knew he was being watched and wanted to gloat about how they could do nothing to stop him, scratched out a name. Once the name was down, he began to write faster, as if he was being timed._

 _Once he was done, he set the pen down, grinning down at the page triumphantly. Beyond's breath caught in his throat as he read the callous words written on the page._

 _L's face was passive. "L," Beyond said. "This – "_

 _"I know," L began stacking the sugar cubes Watari had left on the table. "It can't be helped."_

 _Beyond grit his teeth. "That bastard. . ."_

 _"It would seem that we cannot change what has been written." L said, dropping the last sugar cube in his mouth. "And if we cannot affect what will happen," at this point, he flicked the bottom cube, causing the rest to tumble into his teacup._

 _"We must use it to our advantage."_

xxx

 _I see what you mean_ , A mused. _He truly was a genius_.

Beyond nodded. "In the end, it seems I was unable to surpass him after all."

The two sat in silence for a while, simply watching the children of the fourth generation, frolicking and playing in the sun. Suddenly, Beyond spoke up. "I wanted to apologize."

 _For what_?

"I never visited you." a breeze blew past, ruffling Beyond's hair. "After you died, I never visited you. Even when I ran away, I never even bothered to stop by. I visited everybody else. I visited L, and Watari, and Near, and even Matt and Mello. But I never visited you."

 _It's all right. It's not like I would have known, anyways._

"No, it's important." Beyond said. "And this is probably the only chance I'm ever going to get to tell you."

 _What_?

"I didn't visit you because I felt guilty." Beyond's breath caught in his throat. "I felt guilty, A. I was scared that I had caused your death."

 _It wasn't your fault_.

"What if it was?" Beyond sighed. "I told you when you were going to die, Teresa. I told you when, and then you did, right on the dot. What if I helped drive you to suicide? What if I – "

 _Beyond_.

"Believe Bridesmaid, Quarter Queen, and Backyard Bottomslash." Beyond sighed. "Would they have lived if I hadn't decided to cut them down at the end of their lifespan? Or would they have kept living?" he leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes. "Did I interfere with their deaths, or was _I_ their natural death? If I hadn't killed them, would their numbers have adjusted?" he tapped irritably at his armrest. "These are the thoughts that fill my mind, now that I have nothing to do."

 _Come on, Beyond. Think happy thoughts before you die._

Beyond smiled as his vision began to fade. "You always were such an optimist, A."

A laughed and Beyond felt his life beginning slip away from him. As it did, the red hue that had always covered his vision faded as well. Colors burst into view – the green of the grass and trees, the blue of the sky, and the yellow of the dandelions dotting the field. "I can see it, A." he said, chuckling weakly. "The world – the _real_ world." a tear slid out from the corner of his eye as the names and lifespans above the people outside flickered, before disappearing completely.

 _He's taking his eyes back_.

Beyond smiled as the white of the clouds showed up, floating through the sky. "Like angels," he whispered. "Like _you_."

The world began to fade again, this time to darkness. He heard A laugh at his sentiments.

 _See you on the other side, BB_.

End


End file.
